Aftercare shifts to online counseling due to Covid-19
From a typical face to face one-on-one and group counseling, the Aftercare team of the City Anti-Drug and Abuse Council (CADAC) shifted to online counseling so as not to delay the 18-month program of the 25 Recovering Drug Dependents (RDDs).
Using a certain virtual application, each client received psychological and spiritual counseling each week to help them in their journey to recovery. Through the tele-psych, in-house psychologist Nathalie Villanueva addressed mental health challenges in light of the difficult public health condition. Since recovery is a time of new beginnings, for the RDDs, this means improving their relationship with their family. Recently, Psychologist Villanueva discussed with them – the root of the problem. The lecture explores the unfortunate link between childhood trauma and adult drug addiction. Since majority of RDDs are parent, counselors incorporate open discussions about parental roles and responsibilities to encourage specific ideas that families can actually implement.
As part of the program’s wholistic approach, spiritual counselors focus on the healing process in a spiritual way to give the clients a better chance of long-term recovery. The counseling doesn’t have to be geared towards any specific denomination or religion. It’s about putting one’s confidence in a higher power and seeking guidance during the arduous journey of the recovery process. Counselors also help treat and heal past trauma with a focus on deepening RDD’s understanding and connection to God.
However, there are downsides to conducting online counseling – in the form of missing cues due to the limited frame of a computer screen. But for the time being, it seems to be effective for a specific subset of RDDs and for those who are not in the midst of a larger crisis that requires stronger intervention.
Meanwhile, clients facing poverty due to joblessness or loss of custody of their children received urgent care due to hopelessness, indicating a recurring episode of relapse. If a home visit is necessary, counselors do not shy away from family counseling and follow-up.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some RDDs are struggling to meet personal and family needs. That is why counselors continue to focus on strengthening family support. Meanwhile, the government is currently coordinating efforts to provide a livelihood to those who need it most, especially those with parental responsibilities.