Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Project Green Circle is committed to delivering comprehensive mental health services through three approaches:

• Psychological counseling: We offer counseling for individuals, couples, family, group, substance users, and those seeking career development. These sessions are available both in-person and virtually.
• Training and workshops: We regularly conduct various workshops and training sessions focused on mental health that are open to all individuals. These sessions can also be customized to meet the specific needs of organizations or groups through a collaboration. At their root, our programs are designed to enhance awareness, develop necessary skills, and foster a nuanced understanding of mental well-being.
• Resource and toolkit development: We develop valuable, relevant, culturally-sensitive, and accessible toolkits and resources that support individuals in their mental health journey. Our resources equip people with practical tools, information, and skills that help to promote overall mental well-being.

Click here to learn more about each of our services.

There is no specific age requirement for receiving mental health services as individuals can experience mental health difficulties at any stage of their life. We provide mental health services for people of all ages. For minors (under 16 years of age), we require a parent or guardian to complete a consent form before beginning the counseling process.

Project Green Circle is an accessible and inclusive space for all individuals facing mental health difficulties, regardless of their caste, gender identity, economic standing, disability, sexual orientation, or class. We recognize that unidimensional ideologies and a singular language can exclude many individuals and barricade their access to mental health services. Therefore, here at Project Green Circle, we are dedicated to fostering a welcoming, multilingual, and culturally sensitive space where individuals from all backgrounds feel understood and valued, and where diverse perspectives and experiences are met with respect and compassion.

Currently, we offer counseling sessions in five languages: Nepali, Nepal Bhasa (Newari), Maithili, Bhojpuri, and English. You can request a counselor who speaks your preferred language while booking your session.

Counseling is a process in which a trained and certified professional helps you explore, identify, and learn to manage various psychological issues. A typical counseling session involves talking about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a safe and confidential environment. Your counselor listens actively and without judgment and may then help you set goals for your personal growth.

You should seek counseling when you experience significant distress, feelings of helplessness, or sudden changes in your work, school, home, or relationships. You can also seek counseling if you simply want to understand yourself better. Don't wait for your problems to overpower you!

Counseling can greatly help a person understand their inner self as well as the world around them as they engage in meaningful dialogue and behavior identification under the guidance of their counselor. It can help you become more self-aware, recognize stressors, and learn and develop healthy coping strategies to facilitate mental and spiritual healing.

Some more benefits of counseling sessions include:

• Gain emotional support
• Develop better independent problem-solving skills
• Learn how to manage and reduce stress
• Improve/develop sustainable social relationships
• Personal and professional goal setting
• Support during times of transition

Each mental illness is unique and affects each individual differently depending on its type and severity. Some general symptoms that may suggest a mental illness include:

• Extremely high and low moods
• Difficulty concentrating and appearing mostly confused
• Social withdrawal and loss of interest in activities or relationships
• Sudden changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Substance abuse (drugs, alcohol, prescription medicine) or risky sexual behavior
• Apparent negligence towards personal hygiene and self-care
• Extreme fear or worry
• Expression of desire to harm oneself or others

If you notice any of these symptoms in your loved ones or your own behavior, reach out to your local mental health practitioners/organization to seek professional support.

At Project Green Circle, you can opt to book both online and in-person counseling sessions.

An online counseling session is just as effective as an in-person session. It allows both you and your counselors to maintain consistency and increase the effectiveness of the counseling process.

Of course! The main role of counselors is to help you develop necessary skills and strategies to deal with your problems independently. You must trust the counselor and their process in order to enable them to help you better. Without your cooperation and trust, it will be difficult to identify and achieve the best possible outcomes for your growth.

You should never rush to choose a different counselor based on their first impression. However, like any other relationship, you may feel incompatible with your counselor despite attending numerous sessions. You can opt to change your counselor if any of the following apply:

• You feel that the counselor is demeaning towards you, oversteps professional boundaries, or harasses you verbally, physically, or sexually. Report any cases of harassment to your nearest authority or someone you feel comfortable with.
• You feel that your counselor is mostly distracted during sessions and they are not able to remember important details that you've shared.
• Your counselor is unable to understand your cultural background and is unable to provide culturally sensitive or informed support.
• Your counselor often cancels or reschedules sessions without reasonable cause.
• Your body just doesn't feel comfortable around them. Always listen to your body and intuition.

Your privacy is of utmost importance to us at Project Green Circle. We take several measures to ensure that your personal information and counseling sessions remain confidential. These include:

• All counseling sessions are conducted in a private setting, either in-person at our center or through secure online platforms.
• Any information shared during your session remains within the session. This will not be disclosed to any third parties without your explicit consent, except in cases where there is high risk of harm to yourself or others.
• All client records are kept in a secure database with restricted access to authorized personnel only.
• You will always be fully informed about how your data will be used before starting the counseling process, and your consent will be required for any form of data sharing.

Cost breakdown for each type of session (individual, couple...)

Start by trusting your counselor. Express what you are expecting from your counselor and listen to what your counselor expects from you too. The success of the counseling process depends more on the motivation, commitment, and willingness of the client to grow. Alongside this, here are some other steps you can take:

• Be open and honest. You do not need to mask any part of yourself for your counselor. Open communication and feedback about your experience can help your counselor better tailor the session.
• Listen to your counselor's instructions. Be consistent with the steps outlined towards achieving the goals that you and your counselor have set.
• Be patient. Remind yourself that change and healing can take time.
• Reduce consumption of substances or participating in risky behavior as recommended by your counselor.

Active listening! Listen, with an open mind, to what your loved ones are expressing. Observe both their verbal and non-verbal language. The real, deep-rooted issues are often clouded by a judgemental mind. If your loved ones do not feel comfortable speaking with you or seem to distance themselves more than before, gently encourage them to seek support from a counselor. Click here to get to know our team at Project Green Circle.

If you sense suicide ideation or observe suicidal attempts, do not leave them alone. Be a safe space for them. Gently guide them to reach out to the National Helpline for Suicide Prevention by dialing 1166.

A counselor is a mental health professional who is qualified to provide guidance to individuals who require support on various personal, social or professional issues. Counselors utilize talk therapy and teach healthy coping strategies to enable you to independently overcome distress. They are not licensed to diagnose or treat mental illnesses on a medical level. If you are in need of support during transition phases of your life or experiencing stress in your day-to-day life, such as those of work, school, home, or relationships, you should reach out to a counselor.

A psychologist is a mental health professional who is qualified to evaluate, assess, and formally diagnose mental health disorders by utilizing psychological assessment tools and conducting therapeutic interventions. If you feel that your distress or any change in thoughts or behavior is severely impacting your daily functioning, you can reach out to a psychologist. Your psychologist can help you determine a formal diagnosis for distress and plan specialized therapeutic interventions accordingly.

A psychiatrist is a mental health professional with a medical degree who is qualified to evaluate and diagnose mental health disorders and to prescribe medication as necessary. You can reach out to a psychiatrist if you are experiencing thoughts, urges, or distress that have begun to significantly impact your daily functioning, your own and other's safety, and your quality of life.

Counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists can work together as a team according to your needs.

There are no specific laws in Nepal that govern Mental Health services and service providers. Currently, Nepal follows the National Mental Health Strategy and Plan 2077 (2020).

• Clients can file “Section 21: Right to Privacy deemed to be violated” to mental health practitioners if their privacy has been breached.
• Clients can claim compensation under “Consumer Protection Act (2075)” if they are harmed during a session because of their mental health practitioner or their respective organization.