New counselling service launches to help islanders through coronavirus pandemic
A new counselling service has been launched to support islanders through the coronavirus pandemic.
Liberate is offering video-link and telephone sessions free of charge to help people adapt to the current measures across the islands and cope with the pressures that come with them.
The service wants to help those experiencing stress, anxiety, panic and depression along with other mental health issues because of reasons such as:
Separation from family and friends
Changes to routine
Losing a sense of freedom
Having to quarantine in a home that is unsafe or feels hostile
Having more access to addictive substances at home
Job insecurity
Debt
Bereavement
Taking on more care responsibilities due to a lack of access to regular care for a family member with a disability;
Concerns about own disease status or others being infected
Boredom/lack of employment
The charity says that, like many others, it saw its funding 'drop off a cliff edge' at the beginning of the crisis and was had to rethink how to use its resources to benefit islanders.
The group hopes that offering the service will allow more mental health professionals higher up the chain to support those with more acute cases - including those working on the front-line.