BML Munjal University launches wellness centre for students

BML Munjal University has launched a Wellness Centre for students, combining professional mental health support with a student-led peer mentor programme.

The centre is designed to make support more approachable for students who may feel more comfortable first speaking to another student while adapting to university life.

Under the Peer Wellbeing Mentor Programme, trained senior students act as first points of contact for junior students as they settle into campus life, build friendships and adjust to new routines. Mentors are expected to encourage conversations about wellbeing and guide students towards counselling and psychotherapy services when needed.

The model places peer support alongside clinical services to encourage students to seek help early and to view asking for support as a sign of self-awareness rather than stigma.

How it works

Alongside one-to-one support, the centre will run workshops and awareness programmes on mental health literacy, stress management, emotional regulation, healthy relationships, coping skills and the early recognition of warning signs. It will also hold sessions on the prevention of sexual harassment, reflecting the institution's wider work on campus safety, dignity and respect.

The centre is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, a psychotherapist, an assistant manager and a visiting psychiatrist. The team includes Rupa Murghai, Director and Senior Psychologist; Rupal Arora, Psychologist and Counsellor; Pankaj Suneja, Psychotherapist; Aditi Agrawal, Assistant Manager; and Dr Vinay Saini, Visiting Psychiatrist.

Its work also involves coordination with faculty mentors, wardens, student clubs, the Dean of Student Welfare, student leaders and, where appropriate, parents. This approach reflects the links between academic pressure, relationships, adjustment to university life and emotional health.

The launch comes as universities face wider scrutiny over how they support student mental health, particularly during the transition into higher education, when students are managing new academic, social and personal demands. Institutions have increasingly added campus counselling, peer support and wellbeing education to broader student services.

At BML Munjal University, the emphasis on peer mentoring is based on the view that students may seek help sooner if the first conversation feels informal and familiar. The programme is intended to foster a culture of mutual care and make help-seeking part of everyday campus life.

Professor Shyam Menon, Vice Chancellor of BML Munjal University, outlined the university's approach to the new service.

"At BMU, we believe wellbeing must be woven into the everyday university experience, rather than addressed only when a student is in crisis. The Wellness Centre brings together professional expertise and the strength of peer support to create that environment. By enabling students to look out for one another while ensuring that professional help is always within reach, we want to build a campus where seeking support is natural, early and free from stigma," said Professor Shyam Menon, Vice Chancellor of BML Munjal University.

Student voices

The university linked the launch to a broader focus on listening to students and using their experiences to shape wellbeing initiatives. It said the peer mentoring structure is designed to create inclusive spaces where students feel heard and supported.

Murghai said the centre's work would be guided by student experience as well as professional practice.

"Our priority is to create inclusive, accessible spaces where students feel heard, valued and supported, with their voices and lived experiences guiding our work. Wellbeing means embedding empathy, resilience and open dialogue into everyday campus life. Our Peer Wellbeing Mentor Programme puts this into practice by training students to support their peers, reduce stigma, build resilience and recognise early signs of distress, bridging the gap between self-care and professional support," said Rupa Murghai, Director of the Wellness Centre at BML Munjal University.

The centre's structure is intended to give students multiple routes to support, whether through trained peers, professional counsellors or other members of the campus network who already know them.