Songpa-gu Psychological Stability Healing Program Provides Great Help to Families in Crisis

Expansion of Integrated Support Services for Households Affected by Domestic Violence and Abuse... Promoting Mental Health Recovery through Healing Programs to Aid Crisis Families' Rehabilitation

Counseling Scene

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) is expanding integrated support services for households affected by domestic violence and abuse centered on the 'Songpa-gu Crisis Family Integrated Support Center' and is launching a full-scale operation of healing programs.

Since its opening in July 2019, the Songpa-gu Crisis Family Integrated Support Center has been working in collaboration with the Songpa Police Station to identify and support crisis households in welfare blind spots.

In particular, since September last year, the center has started operating a 'healing program' aimed at restoring the mental health of households exposed to constant personal danger such as verbal abuse and physical violence, receiving great responses from affected households.

For example, among the crisis cases referred to the Songpa-gu Crisis Family Integrated Support Center in October last year, a woman in her 40s, Ms. A, was suffering from habitual assault by her cohabiting partner and financial hardship, resulting in severe suicidal impulses and depression.

She participated in the healing program to promote psychological stability and was assisted in resolving financial difficulties through emergency support and settling overdue utility bills.

Ms. A, the target household, said, “By participating in the healing program and talking about my difficult situation, I was able to objectively see the reality I was facing and received serious coaching on the direction to move forward. I am very grateful to Songpa-gu Office for giving me this opportunity.” She also shared that she is currently planning a bright future with the help of her assigned integrated case manager.

In cases of domestic violence-affected households, most family members belong to a high-risk group for stress due to physical, mental, and psychological exhaustion. Additionally, the social and economic shocks caused by COVID-19 and stay-at-home measures have increased the potential for mental and psychological damage.

Accordingly, the district introduced the healing program targeting households unable to receive professional treatment due to economic reasons by ▲linking with professional psychological service institutions ▲providing a total of five professional counseling sessions ▲and offering long-term support such as psychiatric treatment and medication for high-risk groups including suicide attempters to prevent recurrence.

Through a pilot operation last year, the healing program was evaluated to have positive effects such as alleviating depression and changing negative thoughts in high-stress risk groups. This year, the program plans to expand support targets in connection with private resources and proceed in earnest.

Meanwhile, the center provides one-stop professional counseling services for domestic violence and abuse households reported through 112, staffed by six full-time personnel including integrated case managers, abuse prevention police officers (APO) from Songpa Police Station, and counseling specialists from Seoul City, as well as biweekly visits from financial welfare counselors and legal home doctors (lawyers).

So far, the center has monitored 1,869 domestic violence and abuse reports received via 112, linked 146 cases to specialized domestic violence institutions, conducted 70 on-site consultations with financial and legal experts, and provided integrated case management for 38 crisis households, offering customized services that have contributed to a decrease in annual 112 domestic violence reports (10% decrease in 2019, 8.5% decrease in 2020) and a reduction in recidivism rates.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, worsening household economic conditions, and deepening depression, domestic violence may increase further. We will actively work to establish an integrated support system for domestic violence-affected households centered on the Crisis Family Integrated Support Center to reduce recidivism and restore healthy family functions.”

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