UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungod

Information Dissemination: The UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód re-posts contents related to the COVID-19 crisis and mental health concerns through its Facebook page. This includes sharing updates regarding the pandemic, materials on self-care, empathy, supporting others in distress, among others. The information being shared on the page is gathered from credible institutions, organizations, and agencies (e.g. World Health Organization, the Department of Health, and the UP Diliman Psychosocial Service [UPD PsycServ]). The PSP also disseminates information about specific services on mental health and psychosocial support. It has been expanded through the conduct of the Holistic Wellness Webinar Series which discusses topics related to physical and mental health, financial wellness, etc.

Capacity Building:

• Peer Support Training - The Peer Support Training is the capacity-building activity conducted to equip prospective PSVs with the knowledge and skills on basic psychosocial support. Participants are required to complete the training program that includes modules on Psychological First Aid, the Community Resiliency Model, Case Management, and the Conduct of Face-to-Face or Synchronous Peer Support. Follow-up sessions are scheduled after the training to discuss sample case studies. Participants are encouraged to attend these sessions where they will be required to respond to sample cases. This is a prerequisite before accepting actual cases from the free online psychosocial peer support service.
• Orientation-Workshop on Psychological First Aid (PFA) - The orientation-workshops on Psychological First Aid (PFA) is conducted primarily for communities, organizations, and institutions within and outside UP Diliman. Through these efforts, it is anticipated that participants will become aware and be able to appreciate the importance of psychosocial support for their respective communities or organizations who are distressed. They may also be able to refer cases of persons with special psychosocial concerns to appropriate professionals or organizations for intervention.

Free Online Psychosocial Peer Support Services: The Free Online Psychosocial Peer Support Service is an online support program that responds to different psychosocial concerns in UP Diliman. It is manned by PSVs with guidance from the lead facilitators of the program. Through this service, they provide strengths-based PFA and wellness skills to support seekers to help them manage the crisis they are experiencing and refer them to organizations and institutions for complimentary services if necessary.

The free online support service uses email as a primary mode of communication. It operates in an asynchronous manner to give both the PSV and the support seeker enough space and time for interacting and responding to one another. Other means of communication such as synchronous chat or phone calls may be considered as future platforms.

Currently, the free online support service regularly operates from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from Mondays to Fridays. Once a support seeker has been assigned to a PSV, they may work out a schedule that is convenient to both of them. Support seekers may send an email at psppahinungod.upd@up.edu.ph to learn more about this.

Referral System The UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód offers assistance to support seekers in linking them to their needed services. It has a resource list consisting of institutions, organizations, and groups that provide specialized services. This is updated once a month to explore other available services and ensure that information on existing resources remains accurate. For easy reference, free services are highlighted in the list.

Social Services and Wellness Program covers social services that will be offered in partnership with the University of the Philippines Health Service (UPHS). It includes psychosocial support/counseling sessions, referral services, and human library sessions which will be made available to patients through the help of trained volunteers.

Medical Social Service Program The Medical Social Service Program is dedicated to meeting the needs of patients and helping them achieve optimal health through a holistic case management approach. This program aims to bridge the gap between patients and access to quality healthcare and other resources they need to improve their overall wellness. Its objectives are:

• To provide psychosocial support to patients in managing existing personal, financial, or social issues directly or indirectly impacting their medical condition;
• To refer patients to relevant resources and services they need;
• To capacitate volunteers on basic case management which they can offer for service to the UP community.

Human Resource Library The Human Resource Library under the Social Services and Wellness Program aims to mobilize the UP community to share recordings of their topics of interest to the public in order to cultivate a space for growth and wellness. Topics may include about their profession, hobbies, interests, passion, etc.