Encouraging Mental Health Literacy Through Online Counseling Platforms

It is undeniable that the Covid-19 pandemic has become one of the factors that trigger mental health disorders.mental health) Indonesian society. Based on a report from the Ministry of Health throughout 2020, as many as 18.373 people experienced anxiety disorders, more than 23.000 experienced depression, and 1.193 people attempted suicide.

The increasing awareness of the importance of mental health since the last few years has begun to be used by a number of startup actors to help connect the public with psychologists through technology.

Among them is the Kalbu platform founded by Founder & Chief Visionary Officer Iman Hanggaautomo because it is moved to improve mental health in Indonesia, especially for children.

In the #TuesdayStartup session, Iman presented various interesting insights regarding his efforts to introduce mental health literacy and reach out to people who need help.

Mental health during a pandemic

Iman assessed that mental health was still considered taboo among Indonesian people. It could be because mental health is not taught in the education system. According to him, the school sector is the right way to introduce it

"We are collaborating with schools to improve mental health literacy from an early age because platforms like this cannot run alone. This is also what Kalbu is working on to make mental health a school curriculum," he said.

Reflecting on the situation in recent years, Iman believes that mental health is starting to become one of the most frequently discussed issues. A number of cases that trigger mental disorders occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. Among them, said Iman, the divorce rate rose 15% so that there were many requests for counseling for couples. Then, parental violence against children increased by 42%.

Parents experience burn out due to work from home activities (WFH) which makes there is no limit between working hours and time at home. Not to mention, they have to clean up the house and accompany the school children (home learning). The child's mentality also follows drop.

"We must be successful in carrying out aspects of work, relationships, hobbies, and... self-reward so that life can be quality. So don't try to help yourself, seek a professional. The importance of this platform so that people do not self-diagnosis. Mental health is not only for children, but parents," he added.

More effective and optimal

In encouraging the use of counseling platforms online, Iman tries to educate users and psychologists that online counseling is as optimal as conventional. One of them is through a number of educational programs, such as: workshop.

From a psychologist's point of view, counseling online can help those who have limited access. It could be because the location is far and the price is more expensive when doing face-to-face counseling (offline).

With the support of technology, psychologists can hold counseling sessions online with users via video call. According to Iman, counseling can be done by telephone, but it is less effective because psychologists cannot observe the user's facial expressions and expressions.

"In conventional counseling, usually psychologists will explore problems. However, I see counseling online has its own effectiveness. User fills in consent form when registering and they can fill in what the problem is. From there, it's easier for psychologists to prepare solutions at the first meeting because they already have a kind of grid from consent form," he said.

From the user's point of view, counseling online more affordable and efficient because they don't have to spend time on the road. Platform providers can reduce a number of costs so that counseling prices can be cheaper. In other words, this platform allows anyone to use.

Counseling Barriers online

Despite its effectiveness, Iman sees that there are still obstacles when counseling online. Some of them are the potential for the user to perform other activities during the session (multitasking) making it difficult for them to focus. It could be while checking office work. Another inhibiting factor is the stability of the internet connection.

"But we have prepared mitigation measures through Code of conduct to the user. For example they should be in the room private and don't think about other things to be more focused," he explained.

In Kalbu itself, Iman revealed that his party was improving a number of aspects, such as the appearance of the website, new features, and mobile applications, to improve the quality of counseling services.

"Since the end of 2021, we have seen disturbances and mental health is growing, especially among young people and generation Z. A lot of discussion anxiety, depression, and impostor syndrome on social media. When there is demand, supply just more and more, it means the ecosystem is starting to mature."