The SSSIHMS Wfd is also the first to have a full fledged patient counseling department that helps the patients draw on their inner reserves of strength and fortitude. The counselors, drawn from the spiritual wing of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization undergo a training program that is based on the teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Counseling the Sai Way:
Counseling addresses the emotional needs and fosters the inherent spirituality of the patient thereby complementing the primary medical role of the doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians and other medical staff in treating the patient’s illness. The role of the counselor is to help the patients draw on their own inner resilience. The counseling department’s function is to bring about a harmony of positive, elevating and enriching emotions in the patient sourcing them from within. The essence of counseling is to foster spirituality in the individual thereby facilitating the evolution of the spirit and the mind.

Context – need for counseling:
There are multiple reasons for counseling to become part of the healing process. Way back in 1830 the Rogerian theory was propounded identifying the need for patient specific counseling; that the individual was more important than the disease, and the patient was not a diseased body another human being in need of help. In more contemporary times counseling was found necessary for the following reasons:

How it works:
The SSSIHMS offers medical care in two different fields: Cardiac and Neuro. The needs of the patients of these ailments are also consequently different. The counseling department after due observation has tailored its processes and methods to the unique requirements of these patients.

All patients visiting the hospital who are considered probable admissions are counseled. The counselors meet the patients before they are admitted, after admission - that’s in the pre operative ward, post operatively – during recovery in the post operative ward, and at the time of discharge. More than the patient, the immediate family members are counseled as to their role in the subsequent rehabilitation of their loved one into society. They being the primary care givers need to be sensitized to needs of the patient.

The counselors evaluate the spiritual and emotional profile of the patient and it is recorded in a specially designed from and is updated at various stages as the patient transits through the hospital. The information is thoroughly evaluated and the patient is duly counseled at the time of discharge. The form is then archived for future reference.

The counseling department is also the hub for the Sai Rehabilitation Project that involves follow up of the patient in his/her place of residence through an outreach program that involves the medical fraternity of the Sai Organization.

International conference on "Spirituality in Healthcare" 24th, 25th Oct2009