Psychosocial Support During COVID-19

Safety first: Make sure that person who is providing psychosocial support is safe from contacting coronavirus. If onefeel unsafe, leave and get help from a colleague or call emergency service to avoid any difficult situation. Take preventative measures against COVID-19 infection (e.g. physical distancing). Do NOT put yourself at risk. Let the patient and his /her family knows who you are: Introduce yourself respectfully – your name and your role, and that you are there to help. Ask them for their name so that you can address them and the patient is comfortable. Keep calm: Don’t shout at the patient or physically restrain him/her. Listen: Use your communication skills; do not pressurize the person to talk. Be patient and reassure them that you are there to help and to listen to them. Offer practical comfort and information: offer the person a quiet place to talk, some drink or a blanket. These gestures of comfort will help the patient feel safe. Ask about his/her needs and support required to begin with. Help patient to regain control: If the person/patient is anxious, support him/her to breathe slowly. If the person is out of touch, ask about his /her availability with a request to keep an eye on his /her movement and immediate environment Help them to use their own good coping strategies and to reach out to supportive people in their lives. Provide clear information: to help the person understand the situation, make sure that you use words they can understand (not complicated words). Keep the message simple and repeat it or write it down if needed. Ask them if they understand or have any questions. Stay with the person: Try not to leave the person alone. If you can’t stay with them, find a safe person (a colleague, a friend or relative) to be with patient until you find help or they feel calmer Refer the patient to specialized support: If it is felt that patient needs specialized care and advice it is better to inform his/her family for proper treatment from qualified mental health profession to avoid compilations