Every UPES student can get free, confidential mental health support, any time of day.
Year-round campaigns for positive mental health
Free, confidential counselling for every student
Impact
Help is always free and always open, and prevention starts long before a crisis, through peer support, expert talks and weekly meditation.
24×7counselling helpline
8mental health events and programmes, June 2024 to June 2025
₹0cost of counselling to students
WeeklyHeartfulness meditation, every Wednesday
Every student can speak to a counsellor, at any time of day, for free.
ManoMandal sessions on both campuses gave freshers a safe space to share and to learn from seniors.
Students learned practical habits for sleep, focus and screen time before exams.
SAARTHI trains students as mental health first responders for their friends and communities.
Five expert talks on mental health in 2024–25 recorded 183 attendances.
A guided Heartfulness meditation session has run every Wednesday since September 2024, with 40 sessions held from January to 16 October 2026; about 150 people registered for the three-day workshop that began it.
Free support
On-campus counselling centre. A full-time psychological counsellor and a team of trained professionals offer one-to-one and group counselling for academic stress, personal difficulties and low mood. The university funds the service, so students pay nothing.
We Care, 24×7. Under the UPES Cares programme, a round-the-clock counselling helpline supports students, faculty, staff and their families.
Sanjeevani with Practo. Students can consult doctors, psychologists and therapists online through Practo at no cost.
Clinical psychologist. A clinical psychologist provides crisis intervention and counselling so that students' studies do not suffer.
We Care package. Every student is covered by the We Care Wellness and Health Insurance Plan, which supports both mental and physical health.
Dean of Student Welfare. A single office coordinates counselling referrals, mentoring and grievance redressal, and every student is paired with a faculty mentor.
To book a confidential counselling session, students can contact Dr Veena Krishnan, counselling contact, at vkrishnan@ddn.upes.ac.in.
Promoting good mental health
UPES runs wellness programmes, workshops on resilience, time management and exam stress, support groups, and yoga and meditation sessions. The clinical psychologist leads psycho-educational programmes on common mental and emotional health issues throughout the year, and Manoshakti, the student mental health club, keeps the conversation going among peers. Life skills are taught through the School for Life curriculum. In 2025 the Research and Development leadership also led a trekking expedition for PhD scholars focused on fitness, mindfulness and mental clarity.
PhD scholars on a wellness trek led by the R&D leadership, focused on fitness, mindfulness and mental clarity.
Alongside counselling, UPES works to keep students well before they need help.
Heartfulness Meditation Workshop
11–13 March 2024, Vivekananda Auditorium, Bidholi, organised by the School of Health Sciences and Technology
Following the University Grants Commission's call for meditation and mental health awareness in universities, the School of Health Sciences and Technology held a three-day workshop with trainers from Heartfulness: Mr Deen Dayal Joshi, Zonal Coordinator, Col Harshvardhan Pandey, Col Dr Manu Chopra and Mr Pramod Kumar. About 150 students, faculty and staff registered, including the Dean of the school and its cluster heads.
Col Chopra opened with the spiritual dimension of health in the World Health Organization's definition, and Col Harshvardhan led guided relaxation and meditation. Participants explored mindfulness, stress management, emotional intelligence and the mind-body connection, and learned how to manage stress and emotions through heart-centred living. The team also recorded pulse rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure before and after meditation, as first data on how the practice affects well-being.
Participants and trainers at the Heartfulness Meditation Workshop, March 2024.Faculty and staff with the Heartfulness trainers, Bidholi campus.
Every Wednesday since September 2024, 12 noon to 1 pm, Library Conference Room (first floor), organised by the School of Health Sciences and Technology
The workshop grew into a regular practice. Since September 2024, a guided Heartfulness meditation session has been held every Wednesday, open to students, faculty and staff. It aims to improve mental, emotional and physical well-being, to encourage research-backed ways of managing stress, focus and emotional balance, and to build a supportive, mindful campus.
The programme also trains faculty to bring mindfulness into teaching and mentoring, and has a public health research strand that studies the effect of meditation on psychological well-being, stress and quality of life.
40sessions from January to 16 October 2026
5–6faculty members at an average session
~200participations in 2026 so far
From January to 16 October 2026 alone, 40 sessions were held, with an average of five to six faculty members at each, adding up to about 200 participations.
Of the first 27 people who registered, 25 were beginners. Relaxation (19), stress reduction (17), better concentration (14) and emotional wellness (13) were the most common reasons for joining.
A weekly Heartfulness session in progress.Guided meditation during a Wednesday session.
ManoMandal: open conversations between seniors and juniors
10 September 2024 (Bidholi) and 24 September 2024 (Kandoli), hosted by Manoshakti
ManoMandal, subtitled "Kuch Baatein, Kuch Kahaniyan", gives students a relaxed space to talk honestly about their experiences, challenges and successes at university. Under the theme "Heartfelt Connections: Open Conversations for All", seniors shared the challenges they had overcome and offered advice to freshers, with student counsellor Dr Veena Krishnan joining both sessions. Participants wore orange as a symbol of warmth, and an icebreaker game set an easy tone so that everyone felt able to speak.
ManoMandal at the Old Amphitheatre, Bidholi, 10 September 2024.Seniors share their experiences at ManoMandal, Kandoli, 24 September 2024.
7–8 October 2024, School of Liberal Studies and Media, both campuses
A two-day event that took the conversation about mental health across the Bidholi and Kandoli campuses. Large group sessions in the campus atrium were paired with small peer discussion circles, so students could talk about mental health with each other and not only listen to speakers.
The Mental Health Day event, October 2024.A peer discussion circle at the Mental Health Day event.
World Mental Health Day workshop
10 October 2024, hosted by Manoshakti, the student emotional well-being club
To mark World Mental Health Day, Manoshakti invited UPES counsellor Dr Veena Krishnan to lead a workshop on the year's theme, "It's time to prioritise mental health in the workplace". Students heard practical guidance from the same counsellor they can book a free, confidential session with.
Manoshakti's World Mental Health Day workshop, 10 October 2024.Opening the World Mental Health Day session, 10 October 2024.
Mental health and suicide prevention session
15 October 2024, MBA CORE batch 4, online
MBA students joined an online session with Anne Moss Rogers, a mental health speaker and trainer. The session covered suicide prevention and why looking after mental well-being matters, especially during a demanding programme.
MBA students at the mental health and suicide prevention session.The online session with mental health trainer Anne Moss Rogers, 15 October 2024.
Impact Hours: clearing brain fog before exams
20 February 2025, hosted by Manoshakti with Dr Veena Krishnan
Ahead of exams, Dr Veena Krishnan ran a workshop on "brain fog": what causes it, how it affects concentration and how to clear it. She linked constant doom-scrolling to difficulty processing emotions, and gave students practical habits to use straight away: half an hour a day away from devices, a regular sleep routine that respects the body's circadian rhythm, and Tratak, a yogic focusing exercise. Short aptitude and reflection activities helped students check their own mental state, and the session closed with open questions.
Dr Veena Krishnan leads the brain fog workshop, 20 February 2025.Students reflect on their own focus and stress during the session.
SAARTHI: students as mental health first responders
Community Mental Health Training Program
SAARTHI trains students to be the first person a friend can turn to. Through hands-on practice in small groups, participants learn active listening and emotional first response, moving from awareness to action. The skills go beyond campus, so trained students can also support people in their communities.
Students train as mental health first responders under SAARTHI.Small-group practice during the SAARTHI first-responder training.
Student research on depression and suicide prevention
Psychology students, with international partners
UPES psychology students do not only study mental health, they research it. Working with UC San Diego, UCLA and Miami University, they study depression, suicide prevention and campus safety.
UPES psychology students, who research depression and suicide prevention.
Spaces to unwind
Buzz social spaces, Bidholi and Kandoli
Well-being also depends on having somewhere to switch off. Both campuses have a Buzz social space, with lounge seating and table tennis, where students can relax and meet friends between classes.
The Buzz social space at Kandoli.Students relax in the Bidholi Buzz.
Expert talks on mental health, 2024–25
Five expert talks brought leading psychologists and psychiatrists to students, with 183 attendances in all.
Talk
Speaker
Date
Participants
"Freeze, Feel, Predict: The Science of Emotion and Its Role in Mental Health"
Dr Meera Mary Sunny, IIT Gandhinagar
3 October 2024
30
"Psychoneuroimmunology: How the Body and Mind Talk to Each Other"
Dr Anitha Menon, Curtin University, Dubai
16 January 2025
50
"Thank God It Is Monday: A Perspective on Positive Workplaces"
Dr Anitha Menon, Curtin University, Dubai
20 January 2025
15
"Improving Mental Health Through Implementation Science"
Dr David H. Sommerfeld, University of California, San Diego
21 January 2025
48
"Digital Footprint: Futuristic Psychiatry"
Dr Priya Ranjan Avinash, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun
7 April 2025
40
The School of Liberal Studies and Media also ran Mental Health Awareness Programmes at Kandoli (7 October 2024) and Bidholi (8 October 2024), and its film club screened Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2024. Students can also call the 24-hour toll-free anti-ragging helpline, 1800-180-5522.
