Diploma courses

The Banyan Academy offers two six-month diploma programs in Tamil to build a cadre of grassroots workers trained in mental health. The diploma programs in community mental health and working with vulnerable children have indeed paved the way for the coming decade in mental healthcare.

• Graduates have gone on to become social entrepreneurs offering mental health services in rural Tamil Nadu, advocates cementing collaborations with relevant government ministries to facilitate entitlements for persons with different disabilities, and thought leaders for policy planning.
• Fourteen community mobilizers from The Banyan who completed their diploma have returned to work, and take on leadership positions at the rural and urban mental health programs.
• One of the most significant developments over the past year was the establishment of Home Again in Thiruporur Block by a student from the first-year diploma course in collaboration with The Banyan.

Diploma in Community Mental Health Care

Aim of the course: Creating a committed workforce of mental health workers at the ground level to promote wellbeing in the community and facilitate early diagnosis of mental distress and access to mental health care. The diploma is conducted in collaboration with the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development, Sriperumbudur.

Diploma in Working with Vulnerable Children

The program aims to develop a cadre of community-based certified grassroots workforce who will contribute towards the wellbeing of vulnerable children. They will be trained to address the children’s complex needs through meaningful interventions.