The Behavioral Sciences Department at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM) has made the Psychological Care Line free and available to the public. The care line provides a confidential service to those affected by a crisis or mental disorder which requires the guidance of a professional.
The coordinator of the Psychological Care Line, Fernando Padilla Villegas, said that this service aims to address post-traumatic stress, mourning, suicidal thoughts and panic attacks, among other psychological and emotional affections, to provide permanent support to those affected.
Padilla Villegas said that calls related to the earthquake that occurred Sept. 19 have already been answered and the line expects to attend more in the coming days, especially from people with post-traumatic stress, whose symptoms usually occur in the following weeks.
Villegas said that a psychological session via telephone, which can last up to three hours, has as its main advantage the immediacy of care in emerging situations.
Through six booths, the staff of this call center, made up of eight professionals from the Psychology Department, who receive permanent training to provide the service, are trained to apply procedural protocols to various emergencies or crises.
In some cases, they prescribe the users a period of telephone therapy on different days or, if necessary, give face-to-face therapy with expert psychologists.
The Psychological Care Line provides service from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The line can be contacted via telephone at 462-8287.