Kalinga University is committed to fostering a healthy, inclusive, and supportive campus environment that promotes the emotional well-being, mental health, and resilience of all students, faculty members, staff, and other stakeholders. The University recognizes that mental health is an integral component of overall well-being, academic success, professional productivity, and personal development.

University life often presents academic, social, emotional, financial, and professional challenges. Therefore, Kalinga University strives to create a culture that encourages help-seeking behavior, reduces stigma associated with mental health concerns, and ensures access to appropriate support systems. Through this policy, the University aims to nurture a resilient campus community where individuals can thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.

The University shall be guided by the following principles:

The Policy aims to:

1. Promote emotional wellness and positive mental health across the University community.
2. Create awareness regarding mental health issues and reduce associated stigma.
3. Foster a supportive, compassionate, and psychologically safe campus environment.
4. Strengthen resilience, stress-management skills, and emotional intelligence among students and employees.
5. Provide accessible counselling, guidance, and referral services.
6. Facilitate early identification and support for individuals experiencing emotional or psychological distress.
7. Encourage healthy lifestyles that contribute to mental and emotional well-being.
8. Integrate mental health promotion into academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities.
9. Develop crisis-response mechanisms for mental health emergencies.
10. Promote a culture of mutual care, empathy, and community support.

Under the Mentor–Mentee Framework of Kalinga University, students shall be assigned to designated faculty mentors who will serve as guides, facilitators, and support persons throughout their academic journey. The Mentor–Mentee relationship shall be founded on trust, mutual respect, empathy, confidentiality, and academic integrity, with the objective of promoting the holistic development, emotional well-being, mental health, resilience, and academic success of students.

Mentors shall regularly interact with their allotted mentees to monitor their academic progress, emotional wellness, behavioral concerns, and overall well-being. They shall provide guidance, encouragement, and psychosocial support, identify signs of stress, anxiety, emotional distress, or other mental health concerns at an early stage, and facilitate timely access to appropriate counselling, wellness, and support services available within or outside the University whenever necessary. Through continuous engagement and compassionate mentoring, the University seeks to create a supportive and psychologically safe environment that empowers students to develop resilience, maintain positive mental health, and achieve their full potential.

• Mentors shall foster a supportive, inclusive, and encouraging environment that promotes emotional wellness, personal growth, resilience, and academic success.
• Mentors shall demonstrate empathy, fairness, sensitivity, and non-judgmental behavior while interacting with mentees, particularly those facing emotional, psychological, academic, or personal challenges.
• Mentors shall maintain professional boundaries and uphold ethical standards while guiding, advising, and supporting mentees.
• Mentees shall communicate respectfully with mentors, actively participate in mentoring interactions, and seek guidance or support whenever required.
• Both mentors and mentees shall contribute to maintaining a psychologically safe, respectful, confidential, and inclusive mentoring environment.
• Mentors who identify signs of significant emotional distress, mental health concerns, or risk among mentees shall encourage timely help-seeking and refer the student to appropriate counselling, wellness, or support services available through the University.
• Mentors shall encourage resilience-building, stress-management practices, positive coping strategies, and healthy study–life balance among mentees.
• Mentoring interactions shall respect the privacy and confidentiality of mentees, except where disclosure is necessary to prevent harm or to comply with applicable University policies and legal requirements.

• The University Wellness Committee, Student Counselling Cell, IQAC, and relevant authorities shall oversee the implementation of this Policy.
• Periodic assessments, surveys, and feedback mechanisms shall be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of wellness initiatives.
• Annual reports on mental health awareness programs, counselling services, and wellness activities shall be prepared.
• Emerging mental health needs and best practices shall be incorporated into institutional planning.
• The Policy shall be reviewed at least once every three years or earlier if required.

• All members of the University community shall share responsibility for promoting emotional wellness and mental health.
• University authorities shall ensure adequate resources and support systems for implementation of this Policy.
• Mental health services shall be delivered professionally, ethically, and confidentially.
• Grievances related to discrimination, stigma, harassment, or barriers to accessing support services shall be addressed through appropriate mechanisms.
• Information regarding counselling services, wellness initiatives, and support resources shall be made readily available to all stakeholders.
• The University shall maintain transparency in policy implementation while safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of individuals.

This Policy on Emotional Wellness, Mental Health, and Resilience shall come into effect from the date of approval by the competent authority of Kalinga University and shall apply to all students, faculty members, staff, researchers, contractual personnel, and other stakeholders associated with the University.