The UP Diliman Department of Psychology, along with its UPD Psychosocial Services (PsycServ) program, has offered free telepsychotherapy services to frontliners, PUMs and PUIs, COVID-19 positive individuals, their relatives, and others severely affected by COVID-19.
The latter can send a text or Viber message to 09063743466 or 09167573157 with their name and concern or accomplish the form on the link http://bit.ly/PsycServPH to receive a call from a PsycServ volunteer. PsycServ operates from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm.
“Indeed physical distancing is hard but we can still enable people to connect for encouragement and comfort,” said Dr. Violeta V. Bautista, PsycServ director and Clinical Psychology Program chair of the Department.
According to the https://www.facebook.com/updpsycserv/, the program aims to provide support and a listening ear to those feeling anxious in quarantine with no one to talk to, those diagnosed with the disease or caring and directly working with those who were and thinking of the worst possibilities, those in anguish over a loved one who is ill or who died, and those unsettled and destabilized by the uncertainties and tragedies of the times.
The Facebook page offers a general advice: “Halo-halong emosyon ang dala ng COVID-19 sa buhay natin: takot, lungkot, saya, galit, gulat, at marami pang iba. Alalahanin nating normal lang na maranasan ang mga ito lalo na sa panahon na ito. [COVID-19 has awoken mixed emotions in our lives: fear, loneliness, relief, anger, shock, and others. Let us remember it is normal to experience these especially at these times].”
The telepsychotherapy team is composed of licensed psychologists, experienced psychologists-in-training, clinical psychology graduate students, and trained counselors of the department.
UPD PsycServ was formed in 2017 in response to an increasing number of students who are at risk for psychiatric conditions and those already suffering from them.
(This was originally posted on the UP System website on April 23, 2020)