—says service will not replace face-to-face care for MV Barima families
The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security will on Friday launch a free national online counselling platform providing support for persons experiencing anxiety, depression, domestic violence, family violence and abuse.
The link to the “Embrace” platform will be posted on the ministry’s website and Facebook page on August 21, according to a statement issued yesterday.
The ministry described the service as confidential and professionally managed. It said local independent providers and volunteers from the diaspora would offer grief counselling, trauma therapy and other specialised psychological support.
Embrace is intended to supplement existing face-to-face counselling rather than replace it, the ministry stressed.
It placed particular emphasis on assistance being provided to families affected by the MV Barima tragedy, saying the online platform would not replace the in-person care available to them.
On-the-ground counselling which began after the disaster is continuing through regional units established under the HEART Initiative, the statement said.
According to the ministry, each affected family has been assigned social workers and mental-health professionals who maintain contact through home visits, telephone calls and counselling hubs in the regions.
The response includes personnel from the ministries of Human Services and Health, the University of Guyana and the Guyana Association of Professional Social Workers, with support from the Pan American Health Organization.
The statement did not disclose the cost of establishing Embrace, the number or qualifications of providers registered on the platform, its operating hours or the expected waiting time for an appointment.
It also did not explain how confidentiality and personal data would be protected, whether the service would be available to minors or what arrangements would apply to persons facing an immediate mental-health or domestic-violence emergency.
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