Demystifying Psychological Help: Expert Gilberto Aldana Explains the Importance of Seeking Support

2023-06-26 14:25:24

The specialist Gilberto Aldana explained the relevance of dismantling the myths that exist regarding asking for psychological help

The importance of mental health has gained visibility in recent years, almost as much as physical health. However, access to it is not as easy as going for a run or preparing a healthy dish with balanced ingredients.

The concept of “health” comprises a group of three factors that must be in acceptable to optimal conditions for the patient to have a state of well-being, these are: the physical, mental and social state, according to the World Health Organization.

Given this, dozens of institutions and non-governmental organizations in Venezuela have opened free communication channels to serve and help people with limited economic resources to have mental health.

For its part, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has provided free psychological support since 2017; However, due to the increase in requests for help due to confinement as a measure once morest covid-19, in 2020 he created the Volunteer Psychologists program.

PAHO recorded for March 2023 that the emotional support system of Volunteer Psychologists attended 4,755 patients by telephone between Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Guatemala, Peru, and Ecuador.

Currently, and due to the economic crisis that Venezuela is going through, paying for a private therapist can entail a monthly expense that oscillates between $50 and $160, depending on the price of the consultation and the frequency with which the specialist is seen.

free psychological help

To request free psychological help in Venezuela you can contact the following institutions by phone, text message or email:

-Venezuelan Federation of Psychologists: provides psychological first aid anonymously and confidentially from Friday to Sunday, between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm. The organization created a program called Linea de Ayuda Psicológica (LAPSI).

The telephone numbers are [phone] and [phone], the email [e-mail] and through their social networks @fpv_ve and @fpv_vzla.

-Venezuelan Society of Psychiatry: offers psycho-emotional help through text messages to WhatsApp with attention from Monday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

The contact number is [phone].

-Psychologists Without Borders: They provide psychosocial support to people in crisis or who are going through mourning processes.

You can contact them by phone number [phone], email [e-mail] or on Instagram @psfvenezuela and on Twitter @Acompdolor

-Rehabilitate Foundation: It has psychological help for children, adolescents and adults from Monday to Saturday. The telephone numbers vary depending on the day of care.

Monday and Tuesday: [phone]
Wednesday to Friday: (0414)961.03.11
Saturday: (0424)607,78,65

Or via email: [e-mail]

-Cecodap: Free help to manage the crises of abused boys, girls, adolescents or relatives of minors.

You can contact the organization by phone or via WhatsApp at [phone] and [phone]. Also on their social networks @Cecodap or their website www.cecodap.org

-Doctors without borders: The organization works together with Funda Mujer and the Center for Women’s Studies of the Central University of Venezuela to provide psychological care to people over 15 years of age who have been victims of abuse or sexual violence. The service is from Monday to Saturday and the hours are from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

The telephone numbers are: [phone]; [phone]; and [phone].

To contact Funda Mujer directly, you can write or call [phone]; (0414)328.11.96; and (0414)243.89.13. Also to the email [e-mail]

-For us: The Venezuelan Association for Alternative Sexual Education (AVESA) offers psychological help to patients who are victims of sexual abuse from Tuesday to Saturday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

The contact numbers are: [phone] and [phone].

Asking for psychological help does not mean having a mental disorder

Specialist Gilberto Aldana, head of the Psychology service at the José María Vargas Hospital in Caracas, explained in an interview for El Diario regarding the importance of dismantling the myths that exist regarding asking for psychological help.

To the extent that we as a society remove the negative connotation of asking for help to have mental health, we will have a safeguard of our own psychological dimension, ”said Aldana.

share on

According to the psychologist, the normalization of mental health, as a source of well-being for the general health of the individual, will lead to a person’s awareness and relationship with their environment.

Photo: Freepik

Aldana assured that one of the indications to start seeking psychological help is related to episodes of intense sadness, constant nervousness, insomnia, problems of a sexual nature, difficulty concentrating or deficits in social skills.

“When we feel that our psychological well-being is lost and that the discomfort does not stop, it is an indicator that we should seek psychological therapy,” said the expert.

To conclude, the head of the Psychology service of the José María Varga Hospital insisted on the importance of going to a certified and collegiate specialist with the number of the Venezuelan Federation of Psychologists.

Related news

1687822383
#free #care #mental #health