Seongdong-gu Supports Mental Health of 'Essential Workers'

6150 Essential Workers Including District, Medical, Care, and Childcare Staff Receive Psychological Counseling Services...Mobile Self-Diagnosis via QR Code and Counseling Requests via KakaoTalk Channel Available...Free Counseling Fees for High-Risk Groups or Those Needing External Professional Counseling

Jung Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, Supporting Essential Workers Campaign Scene

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) has launched a free psychological counseling service for essential workers who strive to maintain social functions such as resident safety and care for vulnerable groups amid the COVID-19 situation.

This psychological support for essential workers targets approximately 6,150 people, including medical, care, and childcare workers, public transportation drivers, apartment security personnel, and cleaning workers.

Recently, with the spread of COVID-19, many confirmed cases have occurred in some industries, causing significant psychological anxiety about COVID-19 infection among essential workers.

Accordingly, under the judgment that priority psychological support is necessary to heal the stress of essential workers, psychological counseling services have been provided since November.

The district has developed and operates an online non-face-to-face psychological test to improve essential workers' access to psychological counseling. Anyone can easily access the counseling site through the Seongdong-gu website, the public health center website, or by using a QR code to conduct a self-assessment. The types of tests include depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress response.

It is also available through the KakaoTalk channel ‘Seongdong-gu Mental Health Welfare Center Psychological Support.’ Any essential worker can check self-assessment and COVID-19 psychological support-related information through the channel and apply for 1:1 counseling. The results of the online self-assessment can be checked immediately after the test.

In particular, the district provides telephone or face-to-face counseling through the Seongdong-gu Mental Health Welfare Center to essential workers who are classified as high-risk based on self-diagnosis results or who wish to receive counseling.

Additionally, if professional treatment is required, counseling with external experts such as the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association or linkage with mental health medical institutions within Seongdong-gu is arranged to provide psychological counseling.

The district supports counseling fees at mental health medical institutions free of charge.

Since enacting the first-ever ordinance in the nation regarding support for essential workers in September, Seongdong-gu has continued support such as distributing KF masks and hand sanitizers, providing free flu vaccinations, and running the ‘Thank You Essential Workers’ campaign to show respect for essential workers. On November 6, it also started a research project on ‘Essential Workers’ Status Survey and Support Policy Establishment’ in collaboration with Chung-Ang University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation.

A security guard working at an apartment complex in Seongdong-gu conducting a self-assessment for psychological counseling.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “As a leading policy initiative to support essential workers in Seongdong-gu, the nationwide spread is occurring, including the formation of a government-wide task force, which makes me feel a great sense of responsibility.” He added, “Following the provision of safety equipment and free flu vaccinations, I hope this psychological counseling support will also be of some help to essential workers, the hidden heroes of COVID-19.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.