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•Diploma in Counseling Skills (DCS)
•International Program in Counseling and guidance (IPCG)
•Certificate in Child and Adolescent Development (CCAD)
•International Certificate in Life Skills (ICLS)
•Post Graduate Diploma in psychotherapies

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- One Year Diploma in Counseling Skills DCS24 Classroom (admissions opening from December
- One year self-paced International Program of Counseling and Guidance (For Students outside Bangalore)
- PGDP Classes starting soon

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We offer Free Career Guidance

•We conduct Holistic Career assessment (at a nominal cost) – through Aptitude Testing (Can be done ONLINE too)

•Time tested since 1992, results over 94.7% accurate! We have successfully helped over half a million people with career guidance

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Contact @ 9035679801 for more details on all our upcoming programs

Admissions Open for our 1-year classroom program: Diploma in Counseling Skills – DCS24– Train to be a professional Counselor!

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FAQs

Yes, DCS is designed to suit even those who do not have prior theoretical knowledge of psychology. If you are fascinated by human behaviour, you will get ample opportunity to dive deeper into understanding human emotions and behaviour!

The course is simple and at a very practical level and helps you to understand relationships. We  do not have textbooks or syllabus. We will mail you short notes which are easy to understand and comprehend. DCS helps you to become more self-aware and identify your hidden potential. You can certainly use DCS as a means of self-growth as well as to kick start your second innings in a new and meaningful field like counselling.

As long as you are able to understand and reflect the other person’s feelings and emotions, and have a basic knowledge of English, you will be able to go through the course without any difficulty.

While you would have gained theoretic knowledge in the field of psychology, DCS will complement your learning to enhance your practical skills to be able to actually deal with different types of human behaviour and issues. It is totally experiential without any theory or text book. Internships at various institutions of your choice help you with practical learning.

DCS can be managed along with your existing career to start with. You can use this one year journey to identify your core strengths and make a gradual shift into the world of human behaviour, which is immensely satisfying.

Counseling is a two-way process. When you work on self, you are able to help others better as you experience the change in yourself. Simultaneously, helping others also makes you a better person and expands your perception on various aspects of life. In fact you may be more effective in some ways because you will be able to empathize with others who are facing trauma.  Also, counseling at the Academy is free and you can meet up  and discuss with any one of us who you feel comfortable with.

It could possibly be a little overwhelming in the beginning. However, we will train you to emotionally insulate yourself and not get affected. Managing your own emotions and preventing burnout forms a very important part of the course. Throughout the course, we take up several case studies and role-plays to help you to empathize, and emotionally detach yourself from your counselee.

You can certainly pick up all the practical skills of counselling and reach out to people in whichever sector you are concerned about. You will in fact be more mature and understanding of people’s issues due to your long work experience.  You can, if you wish, become a part of our team of  volunteers working in hospitals, and guide, help and give emotional support to patients and their care-givers. That way you can surely do meaningful work – and of course, you can choose to take up counselling as a career option as well.

Yes, if you are a caring and sensitive human being and have keen interest in human behaviour then after detailed discussion, we will guide you how to adapt yourself to the program.  Educational qualifications do not determine your eligibility to the course.

DCS provides an ‘environment for learning’ which includes role plays, demonstrations, face to face interactions, understanding a person’s body language, building rapport using non-verbal cues etc. All this is best imbibed in a classroom environment, both from the faculty as well as your classmates. You will have personal interaction with people from different ages and stages in life which can significantly broaden your horizons and change your attitude towards life and relationships. Well you may get used to the travel since it is only twice a week, and you may find others you can share transport with.

We have four teams and most topics are covered four times. In case you are going to miss a class with your team, you can attend the same with any other team. So, if you plan systematically, you can take the break without actually losing any class.  We will guide you suitably.

We do not give any guarantee of jobs. However, our students are working in a wide range of institutions including schools, colleges, NGOs, corporate offices, government institutions, and some have even opened their own counselling centres. In fact, many organizations reach out to us when they need counselors. All such vacancies are put up on the website for the benefit our students.

We have had innumerable students coming from various places and some from even other countries to pursue this program (Salem, Coimbatore, Mumbai, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Iran, Tumkur, Maldives etc) You can take up a PG accommodation near to the Academy and pursue your DCS as well as take up internship in other organisations to hone your counselling skills, or take up part-time job to occupy your free time.  We will guide you suitably.

We have consciously kept away from any affiliation or recognition, though we were offered affiliations to reputed institutions. All our courses have been designed without exams and tests, hence that gives you ease of learning with any pressure of completing portions or being worried about exams, grades or marks.

We are members with fully voting rights of the World Federation for Mental Health, USA.

Founder's Note

DR. ALI KHWAJA B.Tech(IIT),MIE, MIIE, Ph.D

Chairman of Banjara Academy, Counsellor, Columnist

Principal faculty, Life skills coach and perpetual student

When we look back on a lifetime’s work and experiences, what really matters is how much we enjoyed (and contributed) to the journey, and not the destination that we have reached. Since childhood I was fascinated with human beings (often animal beings too) and their behavior.
Wanting to contribute my mite towards welfare of individuals, I sought out ways and means to reach out and enrich quality of life through empowerment, and not by charity. It is a joy to see how Banjara and Banjarites have flourished in the past over four decades and have made a mark in the world of human behaviour and counselling, and I look forward always to include more and more people into the ever growing Banjara family.

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5Decades Of Experience
4500Certified as Counselors
100Books and Booklets
1Million Families' Lives Touched

Why Banjara Academy ?

What are we?

We grow Human Beings

We are not Tailors

Enriching Life through Empowerment

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29
Jun
DCS -25 Admissions are open
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Bangalore
We do not look at your academic qualifications. All that you need is 4 hours of commitment in a week, and a genuine interest to help people emotionally.

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Please do contact us from anywhere in the world. We can help with regard to Free Counselling, Aptitude testing, Career choices, or various Courses offered by us at our Academy

Time has come for exams, tension, anxiety …..and hopefully the end of the academic year.  Then the rush for admissions, entrance exams, confusion of which course to take.

We teach children for 12 years in school, but do not give them any skills to choose their careers.  There is a mad rush for Computer Science Engineering or medicine, and lakhs of students prepare for years and years to crack JEE or NEET, without knowing what they are in for and where it is leading them.

It is the responsibility of all of us to give inputs and familiarize students, and their parents, about which career (out of innumerable lucrative choices) is suitable for any specific child, and to resist the herd mentality.  Please make that effort…..

It is a question of their whole future, they need a little hand-holding.

Learn to Enjoy Stress - By Dr. Ali Khwaja

How often have you felt that you are stressed out the moment you think of studies and exams?  Have you ever felt like just giving up and running away somewhere?  If you have faced or are facing such situations, did you ever stop to think how and why stress accumulates in some of us, while others are carefree and whistling their way through exams and life?

There are answers to these questions.  All we need to do is to take a short break, stop getting stressed out by thinking of exams all the time, and pay attention to a few important facts.  Otherwise we will become like the over-enthusiastic boy who was so happy when he got a contract to cut trees that he just went on chopping with all his might.  He never stopped to sharpen his axe, with the result that all his efforts were in vain.  The blunt axe could not cut, and in his frustration he kept hacking harder and harder till he dropped of exhaustion and lost the contract.  Are you ready to sharpen your mental axe?

The countdown to exams has begun.  You are probably counting days now, and are getting tensed, particularly when you think of those tough and boring subjects that you have begun to hate.  No one can be good at all subjects.  There are at least eight types of intelligence: mathe-logical, linguistic, interpersonal, intra-personal, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, spatial and ecological.  Eventually you will find the right vocation that suits your intelligence, but right now you have to study all subjects from languages to technical ones.  To make the best of it, here are a few tip:

  • Start with relaxing BEFORE you sit down to study. Don’t wait till you are tired and fatigued.  The fresher your mind, the more you will be able to take in, in the least time.  Find out a method of relaxation that suits you, don’t copy what someone else is doing.  A few examples are: Long, brisk walk; Jogging, Tennis, golf, Swimming, Aerobics / dancing, Playing with child/pet, Gardening; Driving into nature, Shouting loudly and freely, Yoga, Meditation, Prayer / discourses, Talking to a friend or counselor, Listening to (or playing) music, Maintaining an informal diary, Thought-provoking books, Punching a pillow, Tearing old newspapers.  Experiment till you hit upon the right one.
  • Take periodic breaks. Never study till you are so tired that nothing is going to your head.  Only you know how long you can study before you need a break, follow your mind.  The duration may vary depending on whether you are studying an interesting or boring subject.  At the same time, keep in mind that your break should be short and relaxing, and not taking your mind away into another activity.
  • Study systematically. List out all the chapters, mark those you have trouble with, keep periodically revising or reviewing.  Don’t get bogged down into one subject the whole day.
  • Keep giving yourself periodic tests, both verbal and written. Do mock exams even at home, they will prepare you for facing the actual exam.
  • Keep track of your biological clock, when you are at peak energy, and when you are down and out. Study difficult subjects when you are feeling energetic.  For boring subjects, allot a fixed time and tell yourself that you will finish as soon as the time is over.

As your exams get nearer, do not cut down on your sleep beyond rational limits.  You can certainly do with 25-30% less sleep than average, but cutting it down to 50% or less can actually add to your strain.  Keep up your hygiene, food habits, get fresh air and clear your mind periodically.  On the day of the exam, don’t cram till the last moment.  Have a healthy meal, go early and check out the place, talk to friends or family to calm down your nerves, and then begin the exam with the clear thought – it is just an exam, it is not going to kill you.

Ali’s Notes:

Technology has advanced immensely. Schools have state-of-the-art facilities in every aspect of child requirements, and millions are spent for providing all comforts and amenities to the students. Yet a survey by Banjara showed that 95% of all children, including those in high-end schools, still carry a water bottle in addition to the already heavy bag. Is it not possible to provide purified drinking water to the students in their classrooms? If we really cared for our children, we can think of these (and many similar) small steps to make life convenient to them.
We have still not managed to reduce the size (and weight) of the school bag in today’s e-learning era. We continue to give all our attention to home work, completion of portions, innumerable tests and exams, and rote learning.
If we wish to create a better world around us as the next generation takes over, it is high time we took some initiatives.

 

Self evaluation exercise to check out

How Assertive are you?

Assertiveness is the mean between (aggressive, dominating, pushy) on one side and (submissive, passive, withdrawn, scared) on the other.  An assertive person tries to balance his needs with that of others, he makes others understand what he wants, and at the same time tries to understand what makes others happy.  It is possible to build assertiveness at any age, but one has to work patiently on it.

 

 Answer the following questions marking between 1 to 5 :

(5) Always   (4) Often   (3) Sometimes   (2) Rarely   (1) Never

 

  1. 1) I ask others to do things for me without feeling  guilty or anxious.
  2. 2) When someone asks me to do something I don't want to do, I say "no" without feeling guilty or anxious.
  3. 3) I am comfortable when speaking to a large group of people.
  4. 4) I confidently express my honest opinions to au­thority figures (such as my boss).
  5. 5) When I experience powerful feelings (anger, frus­trations, disappointment etc.), I verbalize them easily.
  6. 6) When  I express anger I do so without blaming others for "making me mad".
  7. 7) I am comfortable speaking up in a group situation.
  8. 8) If I disagree with the majority  opinion  in  a meeting, I can "stick to my guns" without feeling uncom­fortable or being abrasive.
  9. 9) When I make a mistake, I acknowledge it.
  10. 10) I  tell  others  when their  behavior  creates problem for me.
  11. 11) Meeting  new people in social situations is  some­thing I do with ease and comfort.
  12. 12) When discussing my beliefs, I do so without label­ing the opinions of others as "crazy,  stupid,  ridicu­lous, irrational".
  13. 13) I assume that most people are competent and trust­worthy so I can delegate work easily.
  14. 14) When  considering  doing something  I  have  never done, I feel confident I can learn to do it.
  15. 15) I  believe my needs are as important as  those  of others and I am entitled to have my needs satisfied.

 

 

Now you can check your score to see how Assertive you are:

If you have scored above 60, you are quite assertive;

A score between 45-60 means you are reasonably assertive, but you give in at times

If you have scored between 30-45 you are quite submissive and you need to work on it

If by chance you have scored less than 30 then you need help badly, and you have become very submissive or passive.