Leadership

Tshering Dolkar is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) with the National Board for Certified Counselors in the United States of America.

Ms. Dolkar received her master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of New Brunswick, Frederickton, Canada, and the University of Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She is also a 2011–2012 recipient of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship in Drug Abuse and Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Ms. Dolkar started her career with the Ministry of Education in 1992 and began working for Respect, Educate, Nurture, and Empower Women (RENEW) in 2004. She currently works as the Director for the Bhutan Board for Certified Counselors (BBCC), which was launched and established by Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck in September 2015.

Dr. Damber Kumar Nirola is the Head of the Department of Psychiatry in the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. He has a master’s degree in psychiatry and first pursued an education in medicine at Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India, graduating in 1987. From 1989 to 2002, he worked at various hospitals as a medical officer and district medical officer. Later he completed a postgraduate course in psychiatry in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dr. Nirola also has a certificate in occupational health and safety. He has recently earned the title of International Certified Addictions Professional I (ICAP I), after having undergone a series of trainings conducted by the Colombo Plan International Centre for Credentialing and Education for Addiction Professionals (CP ICCE). He has been working as a global trainer for the CP ICCE for the last year.

Dr. Nirola is a professor at the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan. He also serves as a guide for the Mental Health Program of the Ministry of Health.

Naina Kala Gurung is a specialist in guidance and counseling for the Ministry of Education.

Ms. Gurung worked as a high school principal for over 20 years. She has over 25 years of experience as a science and mathematics teacher, and she is a trained school guidance counselor who served for over 17 years. Since completing her master’s degree in education with a specialization in guidance and counseling from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, she has been involved with the Career Education and Counselling Division, Department of Youth & Sports; and the Ministry of Education. She has designed and developed a number of youth programmes, targeting both the micro- and macro-environments of Bhutanese youth.

Ms. Gurung has published Guidance and Counselling Programme for Primary Schools, which is being used by school counselors in Bhutan. She is a National Trainer for the Universal Treatment Curriculum from the International Centre for Certification and Education of Addiction Professionals initiated by the Colombo Plan. She is also the Global Master Trainer for the Universal Prevention Curriculum and has an ICAP I Credential from the Colombo Plan. She was the Chief Trainer for the Educating for Gross National Happiness workshop, which is viewed nationwide and is the very fabric of education in Bhutan.

In addition to her regular duties in the Ministry of Education, she has served as Vice President of the Multi-Task Force on the Prevention of AIDS, and she is an active member of the Phuentsholing Sports Association.

Ms. Gurung is a founding member of the BBCC.

Nima Damdrul is the Chief Programme Officer with the Bhutan Narcotics Control Agency (BNCA). Mr. Damdrul has a master’s degree in educational studies from the University of Canberra, Australia, and a master’s degree in educational leadership and management from the Royal University of Bhutan.

Currently he is spearheading Drug Demand Reduction Services and the Prevention and Treatment Services division under BNCA. His works include sensitization, orientation, and advocacies for the public on the effects of drugs. In order to strengthen the reduction of drug demand and substance and drug use, Mr. Damdrul collaborates and establishes networks with relevant agencies. Another one of his duties is to build the capacity of implementing partners, such as civil society organizations, health officials, teachers, principals, local government officials, and business communities, to enhance partnership and collaboration.

Mr. Damdrul also provides outreach services in communities through drop-in centers, performs assessments of clients for evidence-based treatment through treatment assessment panels, and provides treatment services in rehabilitation centers.

Nima Sangay works on the Bhutan Medical and Health Council and has been the Deputy Registrar since 2008. He worked as the Deputy Nursing Superintendent in Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital from 2003 to 2008.

Mr. Nima is the recipient of a Royal Civil Service Award, as well as a certificate of appreciation from the Honorable Prime Minister of Bhutan in recognition of volunteer services on the medical team during national celebrations. He also received the Drakpoi Thugsey Medal for being a member of the Emergency Medical Team in 2005.

Dechen Doma is presently the Head of Contemplative Counselling Education and Research in Samtse College of Education (SCE). She has a master’s degree in counseling from Curtin University in Perth, Australia. As a visiting faculty member from SCE, she attended mindfulness retreats and other classes at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, USA. She has also undergone intensive training on survey data and analysis in Chitwan, Nepal, which was conducted by the Institute for Social and Environmental Research, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Besides teaching, Ms. Doma is actively involved in research activities. She has numerous publications such as programme documents for a Postgraduate Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, a Postgraduate Diploma in Contemplative Counselling Psychology, and a Master of Arts in Contemplative Counselling Psychology and Feedback Practices at SCE. She also presented a paper entitled Taming the Monkey Mind: Retreat Feedback by Post-graduate Diploma in Contemplative Counselling Students in the Spring Faculty–Student Research Convention at SCE in May 2017.

Tshering Wangmo is currently working as a lecturer at the Khesar Gaylpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan. Previously, she was with RENEW for 10 years. Ms. Wangmo holds a master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is inspired by the words of RENEW’s President, Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck: “Always leave a place better than you found; this applies to everything you touch in life—a place, a person, or a thing.”

Tashi Pelzom is a Specialist in the Department of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education. She has a Master’s of Education in Leadership and Management and a postgraduate certificate in education.

Ms. Pelzom started her career as a teacher and became a school administrator. She also worked as the District Education Officer in Tsirang Dzongkhag prior to working as the Education Monitoring Officer, Education Monitoring and Support Service Division, Ministry of Education.

Dorji Tshering presently serves as the Chief Programme Officer for the Sorig Wellness and Spiritual Health Promotion Division of the Department of Traditional Medicine Services under the Ministry of Health. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from the National Institute of Education (NIE), Samtse, a Postgraduate Diploma in Addiction Science from the University of Cyberjaya, Malaysia, and a Diploma in Guidance and Counselling from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, India. He is a master trainer for the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme’s Universal Treatment Curriculum for Substance Use Disorder (UTC), the Universal Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use (UPC), and the Child Intervention for Living Drug Free Curriculum. He is also an International Certified Addiction Professional (ICAP) and has ICAP II credentials. Prior to joining the Ministry of Health, he served as a Drug Demand Reduction Officer for the Bhutan Narcotics Control Authority (BNCA) for approximately 10 years. During his time there, he carried out all of the echo trainings of the UTC and UPC curriculum he availed from the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme. He has also initiated the Medication Assisted Treatment pilot project in Bhutan through UNODC RoSA support in two larger hospitals in Thimphu and Phuntsholing. Mr. Dorji initiated outpatient counseling services for drug and alcohol dependence at BNCA and piloted a prison-based drug treatment and rehabilitation program. He also successfully carried out a study to determine the socio-demographic profile and level of substance use disorders of drug offenders serving prison terms in 2018. He began his career as a teacher in 2000 at Rangjung High School, Trashigang, and went on to become a school counselor in 2002. He also served as a principal of Wamrong Lower Secondary School from 2007 to 2010.

Since joining the Department of Traditional Medicine Services last year, Mr. Dorji has initiated spiritual health and wellness therapies as complementary and alternative medicine approaches for people with mental illness and substance use disorders in collaboration with the psychiatric departments of JDWNRH, BNCA, and other stakeholders.

Reena Thapa is the Chief of the Career Education and Counselling Division under the Department of Youth & Sports, Ministry of Education. She has a postgraduate diploma in Guidance and Counselling and Master of Arts in Contemplative Counselling Psychology. Ms. Thapa is also an International Certified Addiction Professional (ICAP).

Ms. Thapa started her career as a teacher in 2005. Her service in counseling began in 2007 after she was trained in basic counseling skills. She worked as a teacher counselor for six years until she became a full-time counselor in 2013 and continued working as a school guidance counselor prior to joining the Career Education and Counselling Division in January 2020.

Her current job responsibilities include providing educational, social, emotional, and career development guidance to students through the school counseling program. Her additional responsibilities include providing services to walk-in and referred clients, recognizing the importance of the pastoral dimension in the education of children and young people, and promoting safety education. In addition to providing consultation and supervision, Ms. Thapa also supports school counselors in implementing guidance and personal planning and promoting healthy school environments. As the head of the division, she also has responsibility in providing capacity-building trainings to school guidance counselors in the Dzongkhags and providing feedback, support, and guidance for their professional growth.

Sonam Jamtsho is working as a Deputy Chief Programme Officer in the Demand Reduction Division, Bhutan Narcotics Control Authority. His administrative responsibilities include planning, implementing and following up on the matters related to treatment and rehabilitation of substance use disorders in Bhutan. His professional responsibilities include professional supervision and capacity building of counselors and addiction professionals.

Mr. Jamtsho is an International Certified Addiction Professional III (ICAP-III) and a Global Trainer for the Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) on substance use disorder for the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme. He has facilitated several international trainings to counselors and addiction professionals on UTC with participants from 35 countries in South and Central America, Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

He has a master’s degree in Human Services Counselling (MHSC) from Curtin University, Perth, Australia, and a Bachelor of Education from the National Institute of Education, Samtse.

Mr. Jamtsho is an experienced professional with rich experience in schools, the Department of Youth & Sports, and the Bhutan Institute of Wellbeing in various capacities as a teacher, counselor, and drug treatment specialist. He has also presented papers at international symposiums and conferences on substance use disorders.

He has immense interest in Buddhist mindfulness contemplation and practice.

Kezang Dukpa is a National Certified Counselor - Bhutan (NCC-Bhutan) and an International Certified Addiction Professional (ICAP-I). Mr. Dukpa is also a National Trainer for the Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) for substance use and addiction.

He holds a master’s degree in psychology from Andhra University, India. He is currently working at the Career Education and Counselling Division, Department of Youth & Sports, Ministry of Education, as a Dy. Chief Counsellor. His current job involves providing supervision and professional development trainings to school guidance counselors, providing counseling services, and advocating for strengthening of the counseling profession.

Mr. Dukpa is also involved in the development of counseling programmes, frameworks, and training packages. He coordinated the development of the training manual on Basic Counselling Skills for Teachers and was involved in rolling this publication out to all of the teachers of Bhutan in 2019. He coordinated the development of the National Protocol for Student Safety and Wellbeing and is engaged in its advocacy. He served as a core member of the National Mental Health Response Team during the COVID-19 crisis and contributed to the formation of mental health response teams in all districts in the country. Mr. Dukpa is currently a member of the Bhutan Board for Certified Counselors certification board.

Prakash Pradhan is a National Certified Counselor in Bhutan and an internationally certified addiction professional credentialed by the Colombo Plan. He holds a master’s degree in Contemplative Counselling Psychology from the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB). He is a trained Master Trainer in the Mental Health Facilitator Program and has an International Diploma in Guidance and Counselling from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, India.

Mr. Prakash started his career as a chemistry and biology teacher in higher secondary schools before switching his career to a counselor for youth. Currently, he works as a family counselor in the RENEW Secretariat. He has also been the program coordinator for the Bhutan Board for Certified Counselors (BBCC) since 2015. His professional job entails family counseling, counseling supervision, mental health training, continuing education, substance abuse counseling, suicide prevention, referrals, and responsibility for working at a preventive and developmental level to curb domestic violence and gender-based violence in the country. In his 25 years of service, he has trained a number of counseling professionals and assisted in their certification process as National Certified Counselors (NCCs). Mr. Prakash has played important roles in institutionalizing Happiness and Well-being Centres among the colleges under RUB. In addition, he oversees registration, certification, and training for BBCC and organizes international and national conferences, seminars, workshops, and meetings on a regular basis for counseling professionals and stakeholders.