FPA's Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade supported RESPOND project's target beneficiaries include people living with a disability, adolescents and young persons, women/girls of reproductive age, poor, marginalized, underserved people, garment factory workers, LGBTQI and key populations, estate workforce, and urban and slum dwellers.

The seven FPA clinics involved in this Project are located in six Districts; Colombo, Gampaha, Galle, Batticaloa, Ampara and Nuwara-Eliya, and span across four provinces.

One of the Project's key activities is to expand and increase the capacity of telemedicine and tele-counselling services as well as strengthening FPA’s counselling hotlines.

To this end, a two-day capacity-building session for 10 counsellors on providing age-specific & gender-sensitive SRH counselling services to ensure privacy and confidentiality was carried out.

*Topics discussed:

Introduction to Counselling practices (privacy/confidentiality/

Respect/nondiscrimination and rapport building), SRH Knowledge (sex identity/sex/gender/ sexuality) - By Mrs Chalani Gunawardena (MSc. Counselling Psychology, Certified Life coach, Certified Life Relationship Coach, Certified Trainer in teaching, training, and access learning, ACIM)

Common Psychological Problems in our society and Psychological Causes for sexual problems - By Badra Udawatta (Deputy Director – FPA Alokaya Counselling Centre, Psychological counsellor, Career counsellor, NLP Practitioner, Member of Sri Lanka Institute of Professional Counsellors)

Stages of Sexual development, Sexual mindset in each stage, Counselling on SRH myths & Identifying Gender Identity issues and Management - By Sutharsshani Ramesh ( Psychological Counsellor & Psychotherapist, Certified Business and Life Coach (SLIDAT), NLP Master Practitioner /Master Hypnosis Practitioner, Member of Sri Lanka Institute of Professional Counsellors)

For more information on the project, click here