Ministry of Health and Welfare Provides Over 370,000 Counseling Sessions Since Last July
High Satisfaction Rate of 89.8 Points Reflects Positive Impact
To provide professional psychological counseling to those experiencing emotional difficulties such as depression and anxiety, approximately 79,000 people have received about 373,000 counseling sessions through the 'National Mind Investment Support Project,' which has been implemented since July last year.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 17th, since its registration in June last year, the National Mind Investment Support Project has registered 1,474 counseling service providers and 6,770 service personnel. Additionally, from the start of service applications on July 1 last year until recently, 78,982 people have applied for the service, and 373,203 psychological counseling sessions have been provided.
Those who have been recognized as needing psychological counseling at mental health welfare centers, university counseling centers, mental medical institutions, or who have been identified with moderate or higher levels of depression in the national health screening can receive psychological counseling service vouchers (a total of 8 sessions, each lasting at least 50 minutes) through this project.
A survey conducted by the National Health Insurance Service last year on 1,000 users referred to professional institutions showed a satisfaction score of 89.8 for the Mind Investment Support Project. 91% of users responded that their emotional difficulties improved after using the service, and 96% said they would recommend it to others.
Furthermore, an analysis by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs of 23 service providers and 320 users showed that 83.2% of users who took the depression test (PHQ-9) and 82% of users who took the anxiety test (GAD-7) showed improved scores after receiving the service. Notably, 51.4% and 67.3% of users whose test results were 10 points or higher (indicating moderate or higher depression/anxiety) improved to below 10 points, respectively.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare visited Saeun Psychological Counseling Research Institute, a service provider, on the same day to hear suggestions for improving the support project and held a meeting with academic experts from the Korean Psychological Association and others at the Korea Press Center.
Lee Sang-won, Director of Mental Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "The National Mind Investment Support Project aims to provide high-quality psychological counseling services to citizens experiencing emotional difficulties and to create a society where the public’s mental health is sound. To enhance the effectiveness of the project, quality management of services is crucial, and based on field suggestions, we will continuously manage service quality through monitoring systems, quality evaluations, and training of service personnel."
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