UNS – The Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta opens a free Online Psychological Consultation Service. This service is intended for the UNS students who experiencing anxiety due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak in several regions in Indonesia, including Solo.
When contacted by uns.ac.id. on Tuesday (31/3/2020), the Coordinator of Online Psychological Service Unit, Berliana Widi Scarvanovi, M.Psi., said that the psychological service provided for the UNS students will be available online. UNS students can reach-out to the contact person of the Online Psychological Consultation Service to determine the consultation schedule. Before giving counseling, the psychologist from the Faculty of Medicine UNS (FK UNS) will first conduct an assessment or data retrieval to determine the patterns/methods that are suitable for a certain student.
“We from the Psychological Study FK UNS, the consultant will be the lecturers. There are around 7 people and will be on rolling every day. Thus, in this psychological consultation we provide a free service, especially for UNS students who are currently facing anxiety due to COVID-19,” said Berliana .
Berliana who is a lecturer in Psychological Study FK UNS is witnessing the possibility of mental health level decline due to the COVID-19 KLB status in Solo. Berliana explains that anxiety and fears can decrease health levels. This is because the excess of fears/anxiety will lower immunity and made them susceptible to disease. During the KLB COVID-19 condition in Solo, Berliana understands the emergence of anxiety feeling in the society, including the students. She said that the anxiety felt by a person is a normal response from the human body during crisis/pressured conditions.
“Anxiety is not always bad. Anxiety is a signal from the body that there is an imminent danger. Actually, anxiety under a normal level is healthy, because it shows that we are reminded. The condition of COVID-19 KLB is basically a danger. Thus, it is normal when we are feeling anxious about this condition. However, there are some people who are responding excessively,” she added.
When under crisis/pressure, of course, the level of anxiety for each person is different. There is a person who feels normal anxiety, but there is a person who is overly anxious. Berliana worries that if a person’s anxiety is beyond the reasonable limit, the person will be disturbed by their anxiety and it leads to their inability to think normally. In fact, during a crisis/pressured condition, someone is expected to think rationally.
“We help the students who are disturbed with their anxiety due to COVID-19 to be able to reduce their anxiety, improving their health, can continue their activity properly, and thinking clearly. We also hope that they can survive. Thus, this consultation is not a consultation that will make the client be dependent on us, but we will also give several tips to help them manage their anxiety. Feeling anxious is okay, but we have to remain healthy,” Berliana explains.
For the students who are not registering for the psychology consultation, Berliana shares some tips to help UNS students to act calmly. The tips are to thanking our body, feeling grateful that we remain healthy, and do activities that relax the body.
“We suggest that students remain calm. We also thank our body for withstanding various pressure, feeling thankful because we are still alive, can breathe and is healthy, this will made our body stay positive. Do activities that can make our body relax such as watching movies. If you like, you can do relaxation while listening to classical music, sit quietly, and inhaling a long breath. A long breath will always make us feel better and calm,” she said.
At the end of the interview with uns.ac.id, Berliana said that the Online Psychology Consultation Service will continue during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Most likely during a KLB or within an appeal period from the government, or if we consider that COVID-19 still impacting the society. There must be a certain period that shook the community. Each of us has the will to survive and in time will recover. A post-disaster psychological first aid is also needed,” Berliana concluded. Humas UNS/Yefta
