We work with individuals facing challenges related to mental well-being, survivors of violence, and other socially and economically marginalised communities. We recognize that many community members we work with experience psychosocial stress and limited access to support systems. To address this, we have developed an in-house counselling unit with an aim to foster resilience among our communities, promote emotional well-being, and connecting individuals to care and support services at the grassroots level.
What we do?
In our learnings across the years, we have developed a comprehensive model of mental health, that involves multiple stakeholders including community members, government and non-governmental agencies, educational and healthcare institutions, and other frontline workers, and looks at mental health care and support beyond individual counselling. Our model incorporates systems strengthening, social support and community care, and provides services through a mix of barefoot and professional counsellors. We aim to address the barriers to mental health brought up by the shortage of mental health professionals, financial and geographical inaccessibility, and stigma.
To make mental health care more accessible and holistic, counselling centres have been set up in multiple districts, to provide individual, family and group counselling sessions. Counselling services are delivered by either a psychologist, mental health social worker or barefoot counsellor, with an appropriate referral mechanism wherever required.
The training vertical focuses on creating modules on psychological first aid, mental health literacy and trauma-informed care; and conducting training sessions to enhance the capacity of frontline workers within the organization as well as across other organisations, government stakeholders, and healthcare staff. We recently started our first batch of an online 3-month course on Barefoot Counselling for frontline workers. The first cohort had 25 organisations as participants.
This initiative looks at enhancing awareness of mental health and self-care at institutional levels - such as schools, colleges, shelter homes, hostels, correctional facilities, as well as at the community level - such as Self Help Groups, survivor forums. Our medium of engagement is through talks, creative art forms such as dance, and other informational and educational material. We have created a module for training community volunteers, known as mann sathis, to ensure ownership, empowerment and sustainability for awareness work within communities.
Committed to both community and staff wellbeing, the organization ensures all staff and their family members have access to counseling services. We have also conducted stress-management and self-care workshops in both structured and informal formats, and have created a survey to assess wellbeing.
The team also actively engages in creating content for awareness and training modules, conducting surveys for assessment, creating resources and mapping mental health services.
Real stories from beneficiaries and frontline workers engaged with JSSES initiatives.
Beneficiary — Community Mental Health
Bhikangaon, Khargone
My name is Pratigya Pagaar, and I live in Bhikangaon, in Khargone district. I work to raise awareness among girls and encourage them to move forward in society. To us, JSSES is a helpful and supportive NGO where we share our diverse problems, and they help in…
Community Worker — Women & Children
Indore
JSSES has been working with children and women and conducts awareness programs in the community. It works to prevent violence against women and girls. It has been helping women access employment opportunities and provides counseling and educational support to…
Beneficiary — Mental Health Project
Indore
JSSES works to prevent harassment and domestic violence against women. It also helps adolescent girls overcome mental and physical difficulties they face. It has helped adolescent girls a lot in overcoming their problems. It has helped me a lot too, in…