As a private practitioner and the added responsibilities that come with it, timely supervision is non-negotiable to maintain the quality of my work. The monthly sessions of Onward Supervision have been extremely supportive in this regard. Being a small group of professionals along with an experienced facilitator, this programme combines the features of peer- as well as expert- supervision. The exercise of preparing to present a case pushed me to see the small details and the big picture. Having multiple viewpoints about a case helped me to understand my clients’ reality as well as my counselling style. The shift from feeling stuck to having a definite direction to the counselling process is a truly liberating one. I also found it enriching to listen and help peer counsellors with their work from a stance outside of the counsellor-client dynamic. The relevant themes discussed around termination, suicidality, anxiety, neurodivergence helped me go beyond textbook understanding to a deeper level of what the experience of these themes could be in the clients’ lives as well as for the counsellor. The dynamics of transference and countertransference can easily be missed out, and continue to affect sessions without the counsellor knowing. An engagement like Onward Supervision was key to understanding how these were operating in my work, and how to navigate them. I highly recommend OS for new as well as experienced counsellors, as the programme design offers enough flexibility to support counsellors according to one’s individual needs and stage in one’s career.

Sanjana Meher Yerroju, Counselling Psychologist at private practice

I have greatly benefitted by the supervision. It helped me to open up by looking at different perspective of the same problem from various angles. It challenges my confirmation of how the client works and functions and helps me address by bisas'. Ms Shalu with her experience working with individuals and families provides useful insights. The group also brings cases which is enriching and helps explore various aspects of human challenges.

Nalini Venkatachalam Iyer, Tramua Informed Psychotherapist

Onward Supervision

Being from the Human resources field, engaging in interpersonal and crucial conversations with employees, one on one or in groups is very much required. Most of us have learnt this on the on the job over the years. Subsequently, having trained as a coach, I understood the importance of the grounding in the basic counselling skills. This course is very apt to get the much needed skill building in the areas of counselling like active listening, empathy, ability to confront and challenge the client, setting the goals and creating sustainable practices for the well-being of the client. This 6-month course is well designed with appropriate level of theoretical inputs along with the practice through the internship work. The cohort with a mix of young psychologists and other experienced professionals from corporate, teaching, hospitals etc provided the right learning ambience and conversations. The practice sessions, role plays, expert sessions by experts, appropriate and precise handouts made the whole experience enjoyable. Would strongly recommend this program for honing the basic counselling skills, which could be employed in any context

MVN Rao (HR Advisor & Leadership Coach)

Prafulta’s Emotional Well Being course, as the name suggests, is an exploration into the holistic well-being of oneself and others through the nuanced art of counselling. The program covered various skills with intricate details, often supported by activities and practice sessions around it. Their understanding at the application level was at times amplified by the myriad of relevant and rich examples cited by Shalu from her vast book of experience that she holds from years of practice as a therapist. The timely supervisions conducted by the mentors at different points during the course of the program served as significant checkpoints in our journey as budding counsellors, guiding us into appropriate learning and growth through constructive feedback. It was one of the best decisions of my career to enrol in this program, especially at a point when I was looking at upscaling my own practice as a sound therapist and an energy worker. By applying the counselling skills I learnt through this course, I became more equipped to understand my clients better and could ennoble them in their healing journey more authentically. The tools offered here proved to be extremely beneficial. Not only did they provide a cleaner framework to my sessions, but having a structure also helped me feel more confident and in control of the flow effortlessly, allowing me to dig deeper into the client’s issues. This often led to some major concentrated breakthroughs for them, opening their mind’s eye with profound clarity and a much-needed fortitude! I highly recommend this course to all those who wish to enrich their understanding of emotional well beingness and build a sincere foundation of counselling skills.

Shilpi (Sound Therapist, Energy Healer)

The Emotional Well-being Program at Prafulta, Don Bosco Andheri East, proved to be a transformative experience in 2022. While grappling with personal grief, the program provided me with invaluable tools and insights to navigate my emotional challenges. Beyond personal healing, the program deepened my understanding of emotional intelligence, highlighting its crucial role in fostering positive relationships. As an educationist, I now feel better equipped to connect with staff and students on a more empathetic and supportive level. The program effectively blended theory with practical applications, ensuring a holistic understanding relevant to real-life situations. A key highlight was the creation of a safe and supportive space through engaging group activities and demo sessions. These experiences fostered genuine connection and built strong bonds within the group. I highly recommend this program to anyone seeking to enhance their emotional well-being and cultivate stronger, more meaningful connections with others in personal or professional space.

Mallika Kotian ( Educator)

The Don Bosco Training in Counselling Skills to Enhance Emotional Wellbeing

The advance diploma in counselling happened to me in the middle of an established counselling career. I usually like to attend various courses to enhance my skills knowledge and also take me back to basics which I may have taken for granted over a period of time underestimating its importance. This course I recomend for any individual who believes s/he is human, alive and wanting to feel powerful about their life experiences. This course has not only taught me that what I feel about any situation in life is a choice I make but I also learnt the importance of experiencing various emotions not only thinking them but feeling them. In my professional life I have learnt that the only thing that stops me in my therapies is me. This course has taught me techniques to introspect and keep a check on the emotional baggage I carry on my back. My life has become less stressful and work more enjoyable.

Pallavi Bhurkay

The basic grounding in counselling skills and exposure to the various therapeutic modalities – all contributed immensely towards acquiring a structured skill set for helping people in distress. ADC’s biggest strength is its practicum-based skill development through mock sessions, group-sessions, handling live cases, the supervision, the feedback, the peer-support and even on-going supervision. All this played an unquestionable role in my second career as a Counselling Psychologist.

I have been running a successful private practice for many years, with clients from across the world from 18 to 80. I also do some pro-bono work for an NGO and mentor a few ADC alumni who are setting up on their own. Without ADC as a foundation stone, all this would not have been possible.

Miran Shah (ADC 2017-18)

Being a masters in clinical psychology and working at the hospital since a year as a fresher, I still felt unsure of the therapeutic skills I honed. ADC was a conscious intention to have hands on skills and apply them confidently at my work place. I was more than happy to have had such an amazing experience and in-depth skills that I hadn’t had the exposure to even during the degree level of education. It is one thing to study and pass your paper and another thing to apply the theory to your practice with precision and that is what ADC course is for. I use most of the skills learnt at the ADCP course in my practice of being a psychologist since 13 years.

Purvi Shah (ADC 2013-14)

ADC has helped me enhance my skills and grow as an individual and a counsellor. The course made me reflect on myself and my skills, this changed me as a person and I grew as an individual. The supervision sessions, helped me become more confident in my counselling skills. I have recommended this course to many of my friends after I did this programme and all my friends have also been grateful for this recommendation. I am currently working as a psychologist doing both online and offline counselling as well as coordinating a team of 35 facilitators and doing parent, student, teacher workshops as part of Prafulta’s school outreach programme and also doing corporate workshops.

Kumkum Jagadish (ADC 2017-18)

The Don Bosco Advanced Diploma in Counseling and Outreach was one of the best decisions I took for my counselling career. ADC helped me strengthen my basic as well as advanced counselling skills and the practice sessions and supervision helped me gain confidence in my skills and abilities as a counselor. Currently, I am a part of Prafulta for their Emotional Development and Career Guidance ( EDCG ) conducting emotional development workshops for students as well as parents. I am also working as a project coordinator for project UMANG of TISS which trains teachers to integrate SEL based practices in regular classrooms.

Olivia (ADC 2022-23)

By the time I finished my Masters in Psychology (Clinical), I was sure I wanted to practice counselling as a career. I joined the ADC programme with this goal in mind, and it was the best choice I made. The programme was an excellent bridge between passing out of a more academic programme on one hand, and fully entering the field on the other. We were handheld through learning the skills of counselling, were introduced to some of the established counselling modalities, taught about issues like suicide, sexual abuse etc, and precisely documented practicum work was supervised regularly. The course material is also adequate, and I refer back to it time and again.

The course facilitators also focused on the personhood of the counsellor, and this is where self-work was emphasised. Exposure to both group therapy and individual therapy formats helped me understand the position of a client who comes in with vulnerabilities, speaks about the difficulties and works through them with the counsellor. I now see supervision and self-work as absolute non-negotiables to be an effective counsellor.

The ADC programme gave me a deep sense of what it really is to be a counsellor - mentally, emotionally, practically, and ethically, and I’m happy to say that I run a successful and fulfilling private practice with the foundations learnt at ADC.

Sanjana (ADC 2016-17)

Taking this ADC course has been a life-changing experience. The course offered a perfect balance of theoretical knowledge and practical skills that I could immediately apply in real-life counseling scenarios. The Facilitators were incredibly knowledgeable and supportive, creating a learning environment where I felt encouraged to ask questions and make mistakes.

The course content was comprehensive, covering a wide range of topics from Counseling skills to understanding various psychological therapies and frameworks. I particularly appreciated the hands-on workshops that allowed me to practice counseling skills in a safe, supervised environment. This not only boosted my confidence but also deepened my understanding of the importance of empathy, rapport-building, and ethical considerations in the counseling process.

One of the most valuable aspects of the course was the emphasis on self-reflection and personal growth. It encouraged me to examine my own beliefs and biases, which is crucial for being an effective and non-judgmental counselor.

Ratandeep Chawla (ADC-2016-17)

The Don Bosco Advanced Diploma in Counselling & Community Outreach - (ADCCO)