Though families and communities are best placed to provide psychosocial support. Interventions should work through families to keep Service users in supportive and caring environments and to strengthen families’ abilities to meet a range of their needs. Psychosocial support should not be a stand-alone activity but part of comprehensive, integrated programming.

The prevailing Covid-19 pandemic period eliciting the stay at home order is therefore a time for TeleClinic for Social Workers to Service users who at this time of physical distancing would still be able to assess professional caregivers for effective psychosocial support to build up self-help, community resources and possibly link them and families with existing systems of community support such as development programs, educational services, entrepreneurial and skill acquisition programs, peer support groups and health services.

Objectives

• To achieve a good level of mental health of individuals, families and communities Development of life skills, linking them into the daily life of the child.
• Behavior modification.
• Public health advocacy, communicating with them in matters of physical and psychological health, and educational and social matters.

Intervention Models

1. Group therapy and counseling: The most widely used intervention for psychosocial support is support groups. Groups are available at most centres, at community hospitals, Isolation centres, IDP camps, hospices and private hospitals and organizations. They can be led by either peers or professionals. Groups may be closed with the same individuals or may remain open, permitting patients to enter at any time and continue indefinitely.
2. Cognitive and behavioural interventions: These are among the most widely used in cases like viral infections like Covid-19, based on the theory that physical and mental symptoms are altered by underlying thoughts, feelings and behaviours, several cognitive techniques are employed: distraction, cognitive-restructuring, guided imagery, and coping concepts to foster mastery of threatening situations. These approaches are particularly valuable in three areas: relief of pain, control of anticipatory nausea and other attendant symptoms
3. Meditation: This is another behavioural intervention that has been studied for its effects on physical and emotional symptoms, mindfulness-based meditation which service users can learn with a therapist and then apply later on their own by use of an audiotape or a self-induced state. Frequently, meditation is used in conjunction with other behavioural methods, especially guided imagery and relaxation. Meditation is effective as a means of gaining self-control over distress and anxiety, and helps to control the distress and pain of advanced illness.
4. Grief therapy: Psychological support for surviving family members becomes important when a patient dies. The Social Work Team that cared for the patient and knows the family is in a good position to monitor the level of grief and determine if a referral is needed for individual or group counseling.

The Covid-19 era – A need for SWTC Psychosocial Support

SWTC Psychosocial Support is an online/internet communication Clinic whereby those in need of psychosocial support services calls in, text, whatsApp or through the medium of video conferencing to receive clinical assistance to help their basic emotional and mental well-being during this period of Covid-19 pandemic and beyond since Service users living in a long-term care facility or staying at home or in isolation are no different from other people who need to feel valued, loved, and secure in their relationships with others.

Psychosocial distress may occur at all points along the Covid-19 continuum; from initial diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, and during advanced illness and end of life. Social Workers are central to addressing this individuals’ psychosocial concerns, while primary care providers, who often have longstanding relationships with patients continues to provide support to those at the in-facilities as they face a diagnosis of Covid-19 and during the post treatment period of care.

Target Service users

• Those staying at home, stress, depressed and other high risk individuals as a result of Covid-19 lockdown (Students, public and private workers, entrepreneurs, parents, etc.)
• Those in isolation and undergoing diagnosis and or treatments
• indigent and vulnerable families
• individuals in hospices

Modules operandi Individual counseling.

• Group counseling.
• Periodic meetings or conferencing of Team members
• Meetings and courses in life skills and mental health (time management, psychological trauma,
stages of development)
• Providing referrals and linkages
• individual and collective family consultation