Counselling in India: From Tradition to Global Renewal

Counselling in India: From Tradition to Global Renewal

By Sanjiv Jaggi, MSW Visionary Counsellor, Life Mentor & Executive Coach Founder – Give & Take™ Counselling Clinic Managing Trustee – Anila Charitable Trust Certified by WHO QualityRights · CPD Accredited · CCI Life Member & Ethics Certified

What is Counselling?

Counselling is a professional process of emotional renewal. It helps individuals navigate psychological, social, and personal challenges through structured dialogue with trained practitioners. Unlike casual advice, counselling is rooted in empathy, confidentiality, and evidence-based practice. It is not charity — it is dignity.

Counselling Across the World

• In the United States and Europe, counselling is integrated into schools, workplaces, and healthcare systems.
• In Australia and Canada, government-funded counselling ensures accessibility for all citizens.
• International bodies like UNO and WHO recognize counselling as a pillar of sustainable human development, treating it as a universal right.

Globally, counselling is seen not as an option, but as a necessity for collective well-being.

Counselling in India: The Current State

India’s relationship with counselling is complex.

• Social stigma: Mental health is often misunderstood, equated with weakness or “madness.”
• Traditional reliance: Spiritual practices, family elders, and community rituals have historically substituted professional counselling.
• Infrastructure gaps: India faces a shortage of licensed counsellors and standardized training programs.
• Cultural conditioning: Endurance and stoicism are valued, often at the cost of emotional expression.

While traditions offered resilience, modern pressures — urban stress, academic competition, and social isolation — demand structured professional support.

What is Give & Take™ Counselling?

Give & Take™ Counselling is not just a clinic — it is a movement for emotional renewal. Conceptualized as a bridge between India’s spiritual heritage and global psychological standards, it seeks to normalize counselling as a universal charter of care.

Vision and Mission

• Vision: To elevate counselling as a globally recognized standard of care, aligned with UNO and WHO frameworks, and to make emotional renewal accessible to all humanity.
• Mission: To blend professional counselling practices with India’s cultural and spiritual wisdom, creating a model that resonates both locally and globally.

Contribution in the Field of Counselling

• Awareness-building: Destigmatizing mental health through advocacy and poetic messaging.
• Integration: Embedding counselling into schools, workplaces, and institutions.
• Innovation: Developing charter-like frameworks that can inspire policy adoption at national and international levels.
• Movement-building: Positioning counselling as a collective responsibility, not just an individual choice.

Potential and Future Contribution

Give & Take™ Counselling has the potential to:

• Set global benchmarks: By aligning with UNO/WHO standards, it can serve as a model for other nations.
• Influence policy: Advocate for government-backed counselling initiatives in India.
• Blend tradition with modernity: Integrate yoga, meditation, and spiritual practices with evidence-based counselling.
• Lead a global movement: Position India as a pioneer in emotional renewal, contributing to sustainable human development.

Closing Thought

India stands at a turning point. Counselling is no longer a luxury or a Western import — it is a necessity for the present times. Through Give & Take™ Counselling, India can transform its heritage of resilience into a global charter of care, ensuring that emotional renewal becomes the world’s unfinished revolution.