Counselling programme to help traumatised

Rasika Somarathna

COLOMBO: The Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare has appointed 70 Counselling assistants as its first step to help the people who have undergone mental trauma.

"The highly complex life patterns has led to this condition resulting in suicide, family break ups and mental disorders," Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda said at the conclusion of the training programme conducted for the newly appointed Counselling Assistants held at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Research and Agrarian Centre, recently.

The programme is in line with the Mahinda Chinthanaya's vision of creating a mentally and physically society, the Minister said.

"Globalisation and modern technology have enhanced people's economic expectations and desire to lead a more comfortable life. Their failure to achieve these goals have caused serious erosions in their lives, leading to mental sufferings and strain.

This situation is rapidly spreading in the Sri Lankan social fabric and has been the root cause for suicides and family break-ups.So counselling could be effectively made use to counter the ill effects of this social predicament and that is the duty of a responsible Government", Minister Devananda said.

The new assistants recruited through the under-graduate employment programme would be posted to 70 divisional secretariat divisions in the country.

This project is to be implemented covering the entire country and already the ministry has taken steps to recruit another batch, Ministry sources said.