Sri Lanka National Association of Counsellors
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The AGM took place on the 11th of January 2025 at 10:00 am at the Hector Kobbakaduwa Agrarian Institute.The Executive President, Ms. Carol Gooneratne Amarasekara, welcomed the attendees to the 39th Annual General Meeting, held facilitating the hybrid platform initiated by The President to make possible the attendance of members in the distant parts of Sri Lanka and overseas that found it difficult to commute.
The assembly then stood in honour of the National Anthem. The President, declared open the proceedings of the 39th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka National Association of Counsellors.
The attendees were presented with a video of the activities carried out by SRILNAC during the years 2023- 2024,a historical year for SRILNAC.The presentation was well received. The excellent work done by SRILNAC was commended by the members.
The President said that she was happy to have been able to formulate a hybrid platform for the first time for the members to participate in person and online. Also she mentioned that she was humbly grateful to all members who contributed to make 2023-2024 a historical year for SRILNAC with our publication- Youth A Mindful Journey.
The President spoke of creating a human environment through a humane profession. She emphasized that as mental health professionals, we need to start at the core- SRILNAC. Supporting each other as an organization and learning to transcend psychologically to accept human diversities is important. The President also commented on respecting and upholding the profession, we richly inherited from our founder member Rev Dr. Mervin Fernando. She said it is crucial to carry the legacy forward with dignity.
The President called on all members to support to make SRILNAC a dynamic and humane environment, thereby to help transcend humane values to the greater society. The unanimously re-elected President Ms. Carol Gooneratne Amarasekara stated that in 2025 she intends to concentrate on Healthy Parenting as she believed the first environment is a core area we need to work to enhance mental health. She requested the membership to work as one team to carry out the work of SRILNAC. She also noted that 2025 will mark 40 years of SRILNAC’S service to the people of Sri Lanka.
Mr. Alan David delivering the vote of thanks commended The President for her excellent work, raising the benchmark surpassing the level of expectation by all members. Mr. David said that SRILNAC’s name is been spoken about in all parts of the country and it is still travelling further. He also thanked the Executive Committee, the founding members and all other members for contributing to the success of SRILNAC.
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This book is the result of a shared commitment to support the mental health and well-being of the youth of Sri Lanka. It is a gift SRILNAC offers to bridge professional knowledge to the future of our country. As the founding counselling body in Sri Lanka, we hope to share our knowledge to promote public confidence and trust in the counselling profession.
We are donating this publication to schools, universities and youth institutions, for use in libraries throughout the island.
This professionally- crafted trilingual publication would not have been possible without the contributions of many dedicated professionals in the field of psychology who gave their time, expertise, and resources to make this vision a reality. Their efforts will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the lives of the young people this book is intended to help. We would like to thank all who helped to make this labour of love a reality.
SRILNAC is humbly proud to uphold our motto "WE CARE FOR YOU" and work to continue our legacy.
Carol Gooneratne AmarasekaraThe AGM took place on the 12th of November 2023 at 9:30 am at St Anthony’s Convent Borella. The President welcomed the attendees to the 38th Annual General Meeting of SRILNAC citing the meeting is held in person after several years of difficulties in meeting in-person due to the Covid-19 pandemic and dire fuel crisis that crippled the commuting of persons.
The main item in the Agenda was the election of Office bearers for the year 2023 to 2024.
The Elected President Ms. Carol Gooneratne Amarasekara, then addressed the membership requesting for the support and cooperation to carry forward SRILNAC into new avenues of progression. The President stated that she is hoping to facilitate the online and in- person platforms to accommodate more members who have difficulty in commuting from the outstations of the island. Further commenting The President said that in her tenure she hopes to put together an annual publication of SRILNAC with the help of sponsors. The President also mentioned that she would like to affiliate SRILNAC with international mental health organizations. The President thanked all members for their time and support in attending the 38th AGM despite much hardship.
A special General meeting of Sri Lanka National Association of Counsellors was held on the 27th of May 2023, at No 82, D.S.Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 08.The sole purpose of this meeting was to get the amendments to the Constitution of the Association ratified as it was being postponed several times due to the Covid pandemic. There has not been a major revision of the Constitution since the Association was founded 38 years ago. (1985)
The members participated in the meeting both virtually (15) and personally (10). All members present voted in favour of the amendments and ratification of the Constitution.
Following the meeting, there was an enlightening talk given by Ms Manisha Billimoria, on “Biology of Trauma and Compassionate Inquiry”
The AGM took place on the 1st of October 2022,via Google Meet.Many could not attend the meeting due to power cuts in different places around the country and multiple other issues. In the President's address , she emphasized the impact of the present economic crisis on the mental health of the people
The main item in the Agenda was the election of Office bearers and it was decided unanimously that the existing Executive Committee should continue for the year 2022 to 2023.
