(SPOT.ph) Studies have shown that the ongoing global pandemic is taking a toll on people's mental health. The uncertainty of the future, the persistent threat of a killer virus, being stuck at home, and lack of physical contact are all contributing to mental-health distress.
Hoping to extend some help to the Filipino community in the middle of it all, the Ateneo Bulatao Center for Psychological Services of the Ateneo de Manila University is offering free counseling services for Filipino adults aged 18 and above.
You don't need to be a student at the university.
Free counseling services
You can set up an online appointment through their Google Form; but with the growing demand for counseling and the limited number of responders, you may have to wait up to three weeks to get a schedule.
Services will be conducted within one or two sessions; each meeting is aimed at equipping yourself with coping strategies to better handle the current situation.
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Ateneo Bulatao Center reiterates that their services are not a substitute for therapy nor act as a crisis hotline.
For those in need of urgent attention, it's best to contact the Department of Health's National Center for Mental Health at 0917-899-8727 or 02-7989-8727; the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation Hopeline at 0917-558-4673, 0918-873-4673, and 02-8804-4673; or the In Touch Crisis Line at 0917-800-1123, 0922-893-8944, and 02-8893-7603.
For more information, follow Ateneo Bulatao Center for Psychological Services on Facebook.
