GCU online counselling to redress Corona stress

LAHORE:Government College University (GCU) Lahore has established tele-counselling centre for providing free online counselling services to people dealing with anxiety, stress, fear or other psychological issues arising due to the global pandemic of coronavirus and lockdown in their houses.

GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi said the arrangements for the center, established with the help of the university’s Department of Psychology (Clinical Psychology Unit), had been completed; and Punjab Governor, the Chancellor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar would formally inaugurate it on Thursday (today).

He said the Governor Corona Helpline Call Centre would also refer patients with psychological issues to GCU’s Mental Health Helpline. Prof Zaidi said the cell-phone numbers of the university’s qualified psychologists were also posted on the university’s website and social media accounts along with their availability timings.

He said people of Pakistan had been facing a very tough time due to this Covid-19 pandemic, so all institutions, both public and private, and all individuals must play their role to the best of their resources to help other human beings.

He appreciated that where our doctors and paramedics had been fighting this pandemic as frontline soldiers, our clinical psychologists will also be making efforts to help people in fighting with anxiety, stress, fear or other psychological issues arising due to this global pandemic of coronavirus and lockdown in their houses.

The VC said the GCU tele-counselling centre would provide counselling services to relieve the effects of stress and anxiety management, management of isolation anxiety, building resilience, coping with activity restriction, dealing with Hypochondria and Cyber-chondria and supportive psychotherapy for dealing with illness anxiety and fear.

He said initially five senior clinical psychologists would provide counselling services from 9am to 9pm Monday to Thursday. They will be part of the tele-medicine corona helpline (0304-1112101)

The VC advised people in such times of uncertainty, avoid speculations about the pandemic on social media, keep yourself busy with activities, write e-letters to your family and friends, engage yourself with books, watch movies — and above all try to help others which, he believed, was the best way to counter hopelessness, anxiety, depression or fear.