History

In 1986, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Jaffna appointed a committee, under the chairmanship of Dr. N. Sivarajah who was then Head of the Department of Community Medicine, to recommend improvements to health services at the university. After carrying out several key informant interviews and focus group discussions the committee suggested the establishment of a regular clinic (weekly or monthly as the need arises) at the University Health Centre where a Psychiatrist and Counselors could visit, and students could be referred and followed up. However, nothing happened.

UGC Circular 933 of 21 October 2010 on Student Support Services and Welfare System, Universities established the new post of Direct/Student Support Services and Welfare, in parallel to the post of Director/Staff Development, while UGC Circular 934 of 21 October 2010 established the new post of Academic Career Guidance Adviser in parallel to the post of Senior Student Counselor. UGC Circular No. 07/2010 of 15^th November 2010 established allowances for these positions.

The UGC Student Charter of 2012 mandates that each Sri Lankan University provide Health Service, Career-Guidance Services, Multi-Cultural Centres and Student Services and Welfare Networks. At Jaffna University, there was no Multicultural Center, but some counselling did through Student Consellors and at the psychiatric clinic at Teaching Hospital Jaffna. More recenlty, there was a “Hope Center” in the Arts Faculty which is occasionally staffed by volunteer lecturers and students, but was not open on a regular basis. A study in 2016/17 by Mrs. Menaka Sivakaran of the psychology department for her M.Phil thesis showed that 54.63%, 79.81%, and 70.6% of university students had respectively depression, anxiety and stress symptoms from mild to extremely severe. Various financial, academic and relationship problems were found to cause mental health and psycho social problems.

In 2010, a University of Jaffna Community Medicine Research study of medical faculty students from the Vanni , had found 82% had been directly exposed to the war situation, 67% had barely escaped death, 63% had lost family or friend, 43% had witnessed killing, 27% had been imprisoned, 23 % kidnapped or abducted, and 18% had been tortured or beaten (Shayshananth and Sivashankar 2010) . Using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, thirty eight percent of the students had experienced 1-3 traumatic events, 28% had experienced 4-7 traumatic events and 10% had experienced 8-11 traumatic events. Some attempted and succeeded in suicide (Somasundaram & Sivayokan, 2013). Subsequently in 2014, after a series of suicides, particularly of those who had been traumatized, an attempt was made to start a 'drop in centre' at the University, but did not succeed for various reasons.

Counseling Training Program by Samuddhana in 2008 at Waduwa