The National Institute for Social Development (NISD) was established by an Act of Parliament in 1992, and holds as its mandate “to enhance human resources for social development through the preparation of competent manpower in social work at all levels, generate and disseminate new knowledge and technologies for social work practice, provide specialized services for social welfare and social development.” In line with this mission, the Sri Lanka School of Social Work, a division of the NISD, conducts a two year Diploma programme in Social Work, a four year Bachelor’s degree programme in Social Work and a two year Master of Social Work degree programme. To complement this work, a Diploma in Counselling was first introduced in 2001 by the Training Division of the NISD, as an 18 month training programme conducted mainly over the weekends.
Sri Lanka has a diverse and complex socio political context, which has had an impact in shaping the country’s mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) sector.
The objective of this study is to support the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs (MCDWA) and the National Institute of Social Development (NISD), Ministry of Social Services to map the capacity, training needs and scope of work of the recently recruited 212 Counselling Assistants (CAs). The study is also to understand the infrastructure and support mechanisms currently in place to assist the work of the CAs.
This Participant Handbook provides information, and references to resources which will guide you in the use of materials and tools to add value to your counselling skills.
This participant handbook provides Counselling Officers / Assistants with reading materials and worksheets to apply skills and competencies within a proposed counselling process or framework in an effort to build standards and service quality into the counselling services offered through the Ministry of Social Services and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.