NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute in association with TBWA\India Launch interactive child psychology print tool kit “One Mindful Mind”
NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute in association with TBWA\India launched an interactive print tool kit “One Mindful Mind” that helps every parent turn into a counsellor for their child. It encourages light-hearted yet crucially significant discussions between parent and child. It also helps children understand their emotions better, and be in control of them.
Dr Alok Sharma, Neurosurgeon, Director, NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, Professor, Head of Neurosurgery, LTMG Hospital and LTM Medical College, Sion said, “There has been an alarming surge in reported cases of mental health disorders afflicting children and teenagers in recent years. According to the World Mental Health Organisation, one in four children in the age group of 13-15 years in India suffer from depression, anxiety, mood or conduct disorders, a problem that affects 86 million people in South-East Asia alone.”
Dr Sharma said “India is confronted with a childhood-adolescence mental health crisis. With stressful peer pressure, high parental expectations, breakdown of traditional family structures, and incremental technology dependence forcing lifestyle changes, a rising number of children and adolescents are finding it difficult to cope with the burden of the pressure to excel and continuous scrutiny.
Dr Sharma further added, “The heartbreaking reality is that children don’t seem to have the coping mechanisms needed to deal with negative circumstances effectively and still develop a positive outlook on life. While mental health experts are trying to find a solution to what is globally being touted as an “epidemic of anxiety”, it seems as though the cure will be one that nips it at the bud. A universal and preventive approach needs to be adopted and every child must be taught and trained in positive psychology, not just the ones affected by illnesses. In short, a seismic change is needed.”
That’s where One Mindful Mind comes in with its five simple tools that are part of the OMM tool kit and can be used at one’s own pace and convenience. Each tool gives children the ability to think and play in a non-prescriptive manner. Children are free to use the tools of their choice and express their own unique ideas and moods. The five tools include:
The Feeling Flashcards: a set of 10 illustrated cards listing some prominent everyday feelings. Each card has an example that the child can relate to and a set of activities or coping mechanisms that helps them make sense of their emotions.
The Mood Journal: It helps children record their daily thoughts with the help of mood wheels and journal pages. Each wheel projects feelings as a 30 day report, giving a quick view of the child’s moods over the last month. You cannot manage what you cannot measure and the mood wheel helps in easy identification of dominant feelings and is a healthy daily exercise promoting emotional fluency. The journal sheets can be used to create doodles, observations, stories, notes, anything to express a child’s mood.
The Thought Cards: An escape into art therapy and self reflection. The cards are multi-functional, yet simple. The child first summaries a key thought into a sentence (e.g. healthy thoughts create a happy mind) and puts it down on the card. Then a picture has to be coloured. This helps improve focus and concentration and the process of creation puts the child in a calm, happy state of mind. The best part is, the Thought Cards can be shared with loved ones and make wonderful collectibles.
The Mindful Workbook: A friendly tool that helps the child indulge in reflective and situation based problem solving through stories, poems, and interactive exercises. It covers an array of mental health topics such as self-esteem, anger management, social skills and more. It uses various materials to keep a child visually intrigued.
The Parental Guide: A comprehensive information directory putting together existing market resources and useful contacts, for a child’s mental health.
Many parents are now using OMM as a positive step towards better mental health. The kit has been distributed across 100 child care centres, hospitals, libraries and schools nationwide.
Dr Sharma further said “OMM is just one way of making sure we don’t just prepare children for university but for the universe. An early start is the best thing we could do for our children. This is because emotional and cognitive development shapes quite early. They must engage in activity based learning from the very start to cultivate a healthy mind. At this stage, parents have a major role to play. This is where OMM becomes relevant.”