Online platform to provide psychological assistance to teenagers in Belarus
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus has joined the Republican Centre for Psychological Assistance to develop an online platform for providing individual psychological assistance to adolescents – as informed by UNICEF Belarus Representative, Tanja Radocaj
UNICEF is liaising with state bodies and organisations of Belarus for several years already. Among its tasks is promotion of healthy lifestyle and development of safe behaviour skills among adolescents and young people. As a result of such interaction, centres friendly to teenagers have been launched countrywide to offer consultations on reproductive and sexual health, HIV prevention, and tobacco smoking.
“To date, 56 teen-friendly centres operate throughout the country,” Ms. Radocaj commented. “More than 50,000 young people receive all sort of assistance and consultations there annually. This platform should be used more actively, in particular, in the field of mental health and well-being of adolescents. With this in view, UNICEF actively liaises with healthcare professionals, psychologists and teachers to develop new approaches to such work through various channels, including the Internet and messengers. Such an online tool is now being developed jointly with experts of the Republican Centre for Psychological Assistance.”
In its work, experts work closely with teenagers to better understand what help they need and what worries them most of all. “The new online tool will also be available in mobile phones. Teenagers can get professional psychological support and response to a specific request by contacting real specialists directly,” Ms. Radocaj noted. “The tool is in the last stage of its development.”
In addition, according to the UNICEF representative, the system of new-born care and injury prevention may be further developed. Early intervention centres are already operating all over the country; there are 38 of them. “I think that – jointly with our partners – we need to continue working on early intervention centres. This system should develop simultaneously with the progress of technologies and launch of new methods and technical possibilities. It is important that all children of Belarus can take advantage of the emerging opportunities,” Ms. Radocaj stressed.
