VARTAH 5.0 – National School Counsellors’ Summit Held at GD Goenka University in Collaboration with Fortis Mental Health Program

Over 300 Educators, Psychologists, and Mental Health Leaders Gather to Shape the Future of Student Support Systems

26 July 2025: The School of Liberal Arts at GD Goenka University, in collaboration with the Fortis National Mental Health Program, successfully hosted VARTAH 5.0 – National School Counsellors’ Summit on 25th and 26th July 2025. The two-day in-person event brought together over 300 school counsellors, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and educators from across India for deep, solution-driven discussions on school counselling practices, mental health support systems, and the growing influence of digital media on young minds.

Now in its fifth edition, VARTAH has firmly established itself as one of India’s largest and most impactful national platforms focused on student mental health and emotional well-being. This year’s summit featured a series of keynote addresses, expert-led panel discussions, and interactive sessions aimed at reimagining the role of counsellors and strengthening the mental health infrastructure in educational institutions.

The summit was graced by an impressive lineup of speakers, including Dr. Samir Parikh, Psychiatrist and Chairperson of the Fortis National Mental Health Program; Dr. Manvi Arora, Chief Compliance Officer, GD Goenka Group; and Dr. Anjali Midha Sharan, Professor and Dean, Research & Development and School of Liberal Arts. They were joined by mental health leaders such as Dr. Bhavuk Garg (Lady Hardinge Medical College), Prof. (Dr.) Manushree (VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital), and senior experts from Fortis Healthcare including Ms. Mimansa Singh Tanwar, Dr. Kamna Chhibber, Ms. Roshni Sandhi Abbi, Ms. Nishtha Narula, Ms. Sruti Sood, Ms. Kriti Tikku, Dr. Aastik Joshi, Ms. Anusha Tyagi, Dr. Mantosh Kumar, and Ms. Varisha Kamal. The summit also featured internationally certified school psychologist Ms. Geetika Kapoor, Founder-Director of EdEssential, and child protection specialist Ms. Kriti Tikku, Project Officer at Cacao.

A Timely and Relevant Gathering

Held at a time when schools are grappling with rising levels of student anxiety, screen dependency, and emotional health challenges, VARTAH 5.0 offered a much-needed platform for educators and mental health professionals to share insights and build effective, future-ready student support systems.

The event explored four key themes:

Media and Mental Health – understanding how digital exposure affects student psychology

Emotional Support in Schools – redefining the counsellor’s role in student well-being

Practice, Policy, and Innovation – promoting forward-thinking strategies in education

Capacity Building – enabling skill enhancement and peer learning for counsellors

“In the ever-changing landscape of media, which has become more intrusive in a young person’s life, and more pervasively easily accessible, media literacy, integration in schools is the need of the hour. VARTAH 5.0 focused on empowering counsellors and teachers so that they can focus on skill-building of school-going students to become media literate and navigate the maze and the pressures of media effectively.” Dr Samir Parikh, Psychiatrist, Chairperson, Fortis National Mental Health Program

“Mental health education may be impactful through liberal dialogue and thoughtful deliberations. VARTAH 5.0 provides this platform to school counsellors, reminds us that when we address media literacy and mental health together, we prepare students not just for exams, but for life and sustainability. Our commitment is to build global citizens who think deeply, care deeply, and act meaningfully and we at GD Goenka University are glad to lead this mission through our partnership with Fortis National Mental Health Program.” Dr. Anjali Midha Sharan, Dean – School of Liberal Arts & Dean – Research & Development

A Platform for National Impact

With participation from institutions across urban and semi-urban regions, VARTAH 5.0 reflected the diversity and complexity of India’s educational landscape. Backed by the academic strength of GD Goenka University and the clinical leadership of Fortis Healthcare, the summit offered a strong, actionable roadmap for mental health integration in schools.

To date, the VARTAH platform has reached over 400 schools nationwide, supporting the professional development of counsellors and positively impacting thousands of students. The fifth edition deepened this impact by bringing critical conversations to the forefront, aligning mental health with mainstream education discourse.