Office assistants get tips on ‘soft skill counselling’

Dimapur, July 16 (EMN): A training session for office assistants of the directorate of School Education was held in Kohima on July 15. The Guidance & Counselling Cell of the SCERT issued a press release to the media on Sunday.
The resource persons who spoke for the day programme were G Kevishe Phucho, retired additional secretary; Andreas, So, department of Law & Justice; Tokhuho, registrar, Directorate of School Education, and Dr. Zavise Rume. The press release was appended by Dr. Rume, associate professor.
The resource person of the event was informed to be Dr. Zavise Rume, associate professor of the SCERT. He spoke about what the press release called “soft skill approach to counselling” when ‘dealing with emotions for emotional and mental wellbeing.’ He stressed the importance of “creating inner peace of mind” through therapeutic listening and empathetic understanding so as to give psychological treatment to persons having emotional problem.
According to the press release, Dr. Rume said every individual had the power to empower others to deal with emotions by “touching, comforting and relieving them from emotional pains.” He suggested some personality qualities—“which can cure emotional pains”—such as being trustable, reliable, authentic and real; being an active listener; “listening to the thoughts, feelings, listening to expressed and unexpressed feelings, consistency in good personal habits, nonjudgmental attitude.”
The speaker encouraged the participants to ‘practice active listening and empathetic understanding of persons with whom we are interacting in our offices so that we can be a source of emotional healing.’
“Other skills of dealing with emotions Dr. Rume stressed are like good eye contact, voice modulation, posture, nonverbal body language and smiling which is a powerful tool in dealing with emotions,” the updates explained.
Further, the organisers stated, the gathering was told that counselling service was highly essential for “many educationists, teachers, students, policy makers, administrators, general public who have lost faith in the present system of education in the state.”
Through “dealing with emotions by practising soft skills,” the press release stated, “one can bring people closer and make them understand the real goal of the present education through which we can expect social reformation.” Dr. Rume encouraged every employee of the School Education department to “talk” about importance of education with the people.
Further, he stressed the need for a space for counselling service in all the schools, colleges, universities and offices where every individual can be ‘given opportunities to express pent up emotions so as to promote the health of emotional wellbeing.’
‘This will enhance the quality of performance while referring to many countries like Japan where every employee of private companies undergoes a month of silence and meditation yearly,’ the press release stated.