College focus on mental health, students to screen patients
Times of India | 10 September 2025
Kolkata: To curb mental health issues, Loreto College on Tuesday launched a mental health service through its department of psychology. The college inaugurated SWOSTI mental health services that combine affordable care with advanced student training.
The clinic will deal with childhood-related problems, child and adolescent psychology, adult psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry.
PG students will do assessments while therapy will be conducted by professionals.
Principal Sister A Nirmala said, "This clinic is not just a service, but a message — that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness." After inaugurating the clinic, Pritha Mukhopadhyay, professor of the department of psychology, CU, and Dean of Science, said, "The department of clinical psychology has been doing this for many years, but as a college, Loreto is going to start this for the first time, which will help a lot of people suffering from mental health-related issues.
It is very important to take good care of the confidentiality of the personal details of patients."
Explaining how the concept came to their mind, the department professors highlighted that they started the PG department with 15 seats last year, where in the third and fourth semesters, seeing patients under the supervision of the teachers is part of their internship program. Dinaz R Jeejeebhoy, coordinator of the department (PG), said, "We planned to use the space in a better way, reaching out to the wider population who can use it professionally.
We will invite professionals, who will provide a holistic approach involving psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, special educators, and psychiatric social workers so that a person who comes to us gets holistic treatment as per their needs. SWOSTI is more than a clinic — it is a space of hope and healing."
The clinic will start full-fledged functioning after the puja vacation, as the college will involve someone to handle appointments and the timing of the clinic, where people from outside can visit, will be streamlined. There will be a dedicated phone number.