The students of the Jyoti Nivas College’s Psychology deparment’s student union, Manasi Psychological Association, organized a powerful and thought invoking session on Psychological First Aid on September 12, 2025 to mark Suicide Prevention Week recognized world wide.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Ashwini Govinda, shed light on the urgent need for compassionate and practical responses to mental health crises—especially among young people. Dr. Govinda began by sharing an eye-opening statistic: most individuals affected by mental health disorders in India are below the age of 45. She emphasised that while physical injuries are often visible and treated immediately, emotional struggles frequently go unnoticed.

She clarified that Psychological First Aid is not therapy, but rather an immediate, supportive response offered by peers, friends, and family during moments of distress. Through the simple yet powerful framework of “Look, Listen, Link,”.

Students, both the organizing team from the Psychology department and the participants from all the streams engaged in a conversation to-
● Look for warning signs of distress
● Listen with empathy and without judgement
● Link individuals to professional help and resources.

A significant challenge is to break the stigma around mental health and specific sensitive topic of suicide. This initiative by the students of Jyoti Nivas College guided by the faculty of Department of Psychology for their student fraternity is empowering and crucial. It serves as a hopeful reminder that help is around us. Jyoti Nivas College is dedicated to addressing and holding space for challenges and concerns for students to make them feel seen, heard and supported.