New Delhi (India), July 6: The parents today are facing unique challenges in raising up the new generation. The emotional and mental health difficulties in children and adolescents, ranging from depression, anxiety, gaming addiction and aggression has made parenting a great challenge. Sometimes the parents have no other way but to turn to the internet for any suggestions or solutions, which in turn is full of contradictory advice on how to parent their children. Parenting was thought to be something that was given to us traditionally by our own parents, and we grew up believing that we did not have to learn to parent because it comes naturally to us. But given the above challenges, it has become obvious that the right and conscious parenting to raise a happy, healthy generation does require scientific inputs and interventions. There was felt a need for a lot of education, especially when dealing with the challenges that the new-age parents are facing. But no such education is available in the formal system of education in our country.
Dr. Chinu Agarwal, who is a psychologist, and a psychotherapist, is trained in various modalities in India and abroad under mentors like Dr. Ann Vernon, who is the former president of Albert Ellis Institute. Dr Vernon had developed many rational education programs for children and parents in the United States. Inspired by her, Dr Chinu Agrawal pioneered in the area of parent education in India in 2018 and started this Parenting Expert program where she trained psychologists and professionals so that they can further educate parents with the right kind of skills to raise a happy and healthy generation. The fraternity of counsellors welcomed this initiative, teachers and parents alike, and the Feeling Minds ® Parenting Expert program became a very popular workshop amongst professionals who wanted to establish themselves in this field. This workshop was attended by people not only from many parts of India but people who travelled from Dubai, Belgium, and Hong Kong too to learn from Dr Chinu Agrawal in the pre-Covid era. During the pandemic, the course was re-designed and converted into the online format, which attracted even more keen learners from many parts of the country and outside.
Dr Chinu Agrawal and her company, Feeling Minds ® have achieved their mission of creating 100 parenting experts in the 10th Feeling Minds ® Parenting Expert program conducted recently. The participants were felicitated in a Gala Certification Ceremony held on 3rd July 2022 at Radisson Blu Plaza, Airport Road, Delhi. The event was a spectacular one where 30 plus participants came to receive their certification from various parts of the country like Noida, Delhi, Gurgaon, Agra, Jaipur, Kanpur, Mumbai, and Assam, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Amravati and Bangalore.
During the ceremony, Dr Chinu Agarwal talked about Attachment styles. She said that the first two years are very important in a child’s physical, emotional and mental development. The primary caregiver should be responsive to the child’s needs so that a secure bond can form right from the beginning. She spoke about the importance of physical proximity, emotional proximity and communicating to the children about the parents’ periods of absence to deal with separation anxiety. Insecure attachment experienced in childhood can lead to difficulties in their adult relationships as well.
This educative session was full of Experiential activities and role-plays and was followed by the Certification Ceremony, which was all the more special for two reasons. First, Ms Ambika Warrier, a Psychologist from Delhi, became the first certified Master facilitator for the Feeling Minds ® Parenting Expert program, having completed a one-year rigorous supervision-based training under Dr Chinu Agrawal. Second, the hundredth Feeling Minds ® Parenting Expert, Ms Aishwarya Kapoor, a school counsellor from Delhi, was certified.
The program was beautifully anchored by Ambika Warrier, Psychologist and operations head, Feeling Minds and Pratiksha Tripathi, Rehabilitation counsellor and psychologist.
CA Ashish Agarwal, Strategic Advisor and Dr Ravi Jindal, Managing Director of the Feeling Minds, played a pivotal role in organising this event and making it a resplendent, impressive and successful ceremony for all the participants.
This program was attended by psychologists, teachers, and trainers from all over India. After receiving the certificate, the participants shared their views with everyone. Aakansha Sharma, and Aishwarya Kapoor, psychologists, said that this workshop has empowered them to conduct seminars for parents with research-based tools and applications. Pooja Pathak, the counselling psychologist, shared that getting this certification has inspired her to take scientific and evidence-based education to the parents in society. Anita S. Maheshwari, Trustee & Creative Director, Hema Foundation, shared that attending this workshop has empowered her not only to educate other parents but has also helped her with the knowledge to become a better grandparent. Ritika Jaithalia, a counsellor and Anupam Mishra, a teacher and counsellor by profession, shared that the assured concept of clarity has boosted their confidence as parenting experts and will help them serve society better. Archana Gupta, a Trainer, further added that the practical approaches learned here have empowered and enriched her as a parent. Tripti Sharma and Ashneet Kaur, both counselling psychologists, said that the program’s USP is very intricately designed, keeping in mind practical and theoretical knowledge. The in-depth knowledge about scientific theories of parenting and related tools and techniques will help their professional journey. Shelly Ahuja, Educator and counselling psychologist and Deeksha Aswani, Principal, added that this had equipped them with skill sets to help the parents of the school children they deal with more scientifically and professionally. Lima Nandi, Wellness counsellor and Roli Kesarwani, Coach from Mumbai, shared that the application-based learnings and guidance for workshops through the Feeling Minds courses have made her a successful entrepreneur and also added to her practice as a psychologist and Coach. Nandita G. Sharma, psychological counsellor and Sumita Khanna Sethi, founder of Start Early, said that the workshop is informative, empowering, scientific, and the best any organisation can offer. Pratiksha Tripathi, founder of Mantran Counseling Services, and Ambika Warrier, founder of Aananda Centre for Counseling, felt that the Feeling Minds Parenting Expert Program is a life-transforming workshop and a must-attend for people who want to be entrepreneurs in this field and contribute to the society.
Neha Patil, software engineer and Sai Sudha Saini, Regional manager at a bank, added that they feel fortunate to be part of this workshop, and this has helped them to follow their passion for psychology with more fervour. The workshop also offers professional guidance for entrepreneurs on setting up their enterprises in the field of parenting. Tejashri Acharya, Parenting expert and career counsellor, and CS Nidhi Agrawal, Career & Parenting Expert, added that the experiential teaching methodology of Dr Chinu has been the most amazing learning experience for them that has imprinted the concepts for life. Richi Salgotra and Shubhashree Singh, counselling psychologists, shared that the mentorship of Dr Chinu has made them even more confident in applying their knowledge and skillset to their practice. Riddhi Deorah, added that the practical tips learnt in this course also helped her in developing a better parent-child bond with her sons. Varsha Jain, counselling psychologist, added that along with helping in her professional life, this course has also helped her to develop stronger bonds with her toddler.
The backend support to make the event successful was meticulously provided by the Administrative head of Feeling Minds, Subodh Verma, Preeti Verma and Budding Psychologist and Intern at Feeling Minds, Shailesh Jindal.
The participants urged the parents to not to shy away from seeking expert advice to deal with their difficulties to enjoy their parenthood fully.
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