Gyeongbuk Province Holds Meeting with Officials on Firefighters' 'Visiting Counseling Room' Program

Published 12 Apr.2022 10:15(KST)

Updated 10 Aug.2025 12:09(KST)

Discussion on Various Measures to Promote Mental Health Including PTSD and Depression

Gyeongbuk Province Firefighters 'Visiting Counseling Room' Stakeholders Meeting.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters held a meeting on the 11th at Deokgu Oncheon Hotel in Uljin with 43 participants, including professional counselors from the psychological support team and health officers from fire stations, for the '2022 Firefighter Visiting Counseling Room' stakeholders.

The Fire Headquarters has signed a service contract with Daegu University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, a professional psychological counseling institution, to prevent mental illnesses among firefighters and to promptly relieve accumulated job stress, managing the mental health of firefighters through the 'Visiting Counseling Room' service.

Since 2019, Daegu University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation has been selected as the business institution for the Gyeongbuk Firefighter Visiting Counseling Room project, providing various programs such as intervention for trauma experienced by firefighters exposed to traumatic incidents, group counseling, alcohol education, sleep management, and stress coping.

This meeting discussed the direction of the Visiting Counseling Room project for this year, introduction of excellent counseling cases, methods for operating one-on-one personal counseling and group counseling, linkage management with hospitals for stress treatment, continuous counseling for firefighters at risk of suicide, firefighter social psychodrama, emotional coaching parent education, and educational programs to overcome sleep disorders and alcohol disorders.

Director Hyun Jin-hee pledged, "This year as well, we will strengthen 24-hour telephone counseling, emergency psychological support, and mental health education to improve firefighters' mental health, and do our best to prevent and overcome PTSD, depression, sleep disorders, and stress."

Lee Young-pal, head of the Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters, said, "We will spare no support to train firefighters' mental muscles and enhance resilience so that they can overcome psychological shocks through not only psychological counseling but also various education and training."