CHENNAI: For the past year, we have been inundated with medical advice by healthcare professionals, the government, the media, and even questionable WhatsApp forwards. Physical health has been a priority, as one would expect in a pandemic. But what about the psychological effects of the multiple lockdowns, the social distance, and most importantly, the loss of life? Dialogue about the collective mental health of the nation, while initiated, is yet to be given adequate importance. Aiming to build psychological immunity and address pandemic-related stress, Chennai Counselors’ Foundation (CCF) is offering free telecounselling services under their initiative Let’s Talk 2.0 from June 10-August 10.
The initiative was first introduced in April-May 2020. “Last year when the pandemic started, everyone spoke about physiological safety but did not address psychological safety. And psychiatrist patients who had been going through treatment would face a lot more trauma, especially OCD, anxiety, and clinical depression. I was so concerned about things being worse than the existing situation and that’s the reason we established the Let’s Talk initiative,” says Saras Bhaskar, one of the founders of CCF.
Through the initiative, 25 counsellors, organised as the CCF 2021 Phoenix Squad, are available to people of all ages and genders for 30-45 minute consultations. People can also opt for counsellors in their preferred language English, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam. Upon calling the designated numbers, one would be directed to the first point-of-contact counsellors (FPOCC) who will assign the person to a counsellor after a mental status examination.
Speaking of the treatment to follow, Bhaskar adds, “Common distress in the public could be stress, anxiety, depression, grief. We are first going to listen to them, help them express what they are going through, identify their stress and then develop an intervention plan. We have 90 days and we believe that with multiple sessions the number depending on their need we will be able to alleviate the distress the individual is going through using several techniques that we have been trained to offer. It will be a customised, individualised, therapeutic intervention plan.”
Due to the second wave, it has been difficult for people to garner any optimism. According to Bhaskar, this has affected psychological immunity, which is the ability to be resilient and handle emotions, recognise and act upon what one has control over, and not be depressed or fearful of things that are not in their control. “COVID has really turned and tossed people globally.
Now, with the second wave in India, it’s almost like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Last year, our concerns were more about the effects of the virus and how to treat it, but now we’re questioning if we will ever escape this pandemic. This has added livelihood stress, anxiety and fear about the future. People are almost unable to handle the loss of life, loved ones, financials, and livelihoods. These are the things that bring down the psychological immunity of an individual,” she says.
Consultations are available from 7 am to 7 pm on all days. For appointments, call: 9840487762 (7 am to 2 pm); 7338905946 (2 pm to 7 pm)
The squad
Through the initiative, 25 counsellors, organised as the CCF 2021 Phoenix Squad, are available to people of all ages and genders for 30-45 minute consultations. People can also opt for counsellors in their preferred language.