Counselling and Referral services

Counselling and Referral services

Sight loss is experienced differently by different people. They go through a process to the Six stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

  1. Grief is a normal response to loss during or after a disaster or other traumatic event.
  2. A denial is a refusal, and often means a refusal to believe or accept something as the truth.
  3. Anger is an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.
  4. Bargaining is the back and forth process of negotiation in order to make an agreement between two parties.
  5. Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.
  6. Acceptance in human psychology is a person’s assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition without attempting to change it or protest it.

The challenge is to create a new direction for their lives, recognizing their blindness but at the same time not allowing it to define them. These visually impaired and blind persons are dealing not just with loss of sight, but also with loss of independence and empowerment. They often depend on others to carry out even mundane tasks, such as reading a letter or an email.

It is difficult to undertake this work without incorporating and acknowledging the basic principles of a more person-centred approach, particularly while forging a new relationship with the visually impaired or the blind person.

Counselling Services by Vision-Aid

Counseling is an important service offered to all students, but this intervention is of special significance for the child with vision impairment.

In counseling the student with vision impairment it is essential to see the child as an individual first. So, just as a counselor would assess any student referred for services, consideration would be given to chronological age, developmental level, academic and social strengths and problem areas, family situation, emotional functioning, cultural identification, and any other factors that may be affecting the child.  At the same time, an awareness of the impact of the student’s disability is maintained as the total picture is put together.

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” – Helen Keller

Our counseling service is available to anyone experiencing low mood when dealing with sight related difficulties. We also recognize that anxiety can be experienced by parents, partners, careers, and we extend our services to anyone affected directly or indirectly, by sight loss.

Aspects of Counselling covered at Vision-Aid

Vision-Aid offers a free counselling service, providing practical and emotional support for people who are visually impaired and blind.
Counseling is about the only thing that can enhance the client’s ability to make appropriate life decisions in a situation of visual impairment. Counseling helps the individual to develop the ability to set realistic goals for himself and improve his total being. Through counseling the individual is brought to a position of thorough understanding of himself to make an appropriate vocational choice based on his interest, aptitude and talent. It is important to note that most students with visual impairments find it difficult to adjust to school life. Educating persons with visual impairment is problematic. This is because an individual with visual impairment is confronted with a number of challenges ranging from participation in social activities, locomotion, and education to mention a few.
The work of a lead counselling involves in the areas of

  • Depression and other mood disorders
  • Adjustment and life stress problems
  • Anxiety problems
  • Relationship concerns
  • Substance abuse
  • Personality disorder issues
  • Identity issues
  • Bereavement


The initiation of the Counselling has resulted in arresting the drop out ratio from the various Training programs conducted by Vision-Aid and Personality Development.

Meet our Lead Counsellor

Vision-Aid has appointed a Lead Counsellor, a specialist and experienced Counsellor, who is a qualified Doctorate of Philosophy in Psychology and a Specia Educator from Rehabilitation Council of India.  She is an integrative / holistic therapist, both by training and by nature.

Awards/Recognitions

And many more awards over the years.

Get in touch with Fatima through her email address: lubna.fathima@visionaid.org