BACOLOD CITY – The City of Victorias in Negros Occidental is providing free counseling services to its residents and employees needing psychosocial support in line with the city government’s advocacy that mental health matters.
“Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, through the City Culture and Ethics Office (CCEO) in collaboration with the City Health Office (CHO), aims to raise mental health awareness. The more we know about mental health, the better,” the city government said in a statement on Monday.
On two Mondays of the month, the CCEO and the CHO-Mental Health Services issue reminders on social media related to mental health awareness.
The CCEO, headed by culture and ethics officer, Dr. Joselito Diaz, offers various programs and services, one of which is free counseling service to city employees who may need psychosocial support.
It has also made arrangements with various hotlines that can be contacted by those who need counseling such as the Tawag Paglaum-Centro Bisaya 24/Crisis Intervention and Suicide Hotline and National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline.
The CCEO aims to assist the city’s workforce on psychological development, focusing more on mental health with regular motivational talks and videos on psychological enrichment for Victoriahanons.
In an earlier statement, Benitez underscored the need to promote mental health awareness among the city employees.
“We have been tirelessly promoting a clean, efficient and inclusive governance, and I have seen each of you do your part in this vision of ours. But we never forget to elevate the work-life balance for all city employees,” he added. (PNA)
