VIJAYAWADA: Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang launched Voice that Cares, a Telugu-language psychosocial first aid helpline offered by Heartfulness Institute and Ripples of Change Foundation (ROCF), on Tuesday.
The DGP appreciated the efforts of the organizers during a virtual meeting with DGP, IG, DIG, SP and additional police officers. The free helpline, already operating in Hindi and English, has now started psychosocial counseling for people in emotional and mental distress in Telugu.
The DGP said that mental and emotional health are key factors in the general well-being of society and stated that the state police understand its importance in maintaining law and order. “By collaborating with ‘Voice that Cares,’ AP Police are actively addressing issues that are causing more and more discord in people’s lives. By proactively addressing the area of mental and emotional stress, we hope to create a positive impact on law and order,” Sawang said.
Heartfulness Guide Daaji said that ‘Voice That Cares (VCT)’ was released in June 2021 amid the peak of the COVID pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment of prolonged fear and uncertainty that has resulted in shared trauma and mental health issues across communities. He emphasized the urgent need to address people’s mental health problems.
Meditation promotes inner strength and emotional resilience and helps establish a state of balance, but someone who is already traumatized or distressed needs counseling support, Daaji said, adding that VCT has provided 1,700 hours of counseling support to help 6,500 callers from 23 states.
He expressed concern that three out of five callers were young people between the ages of 18 and 30, with depression (23 percent) and anxiety (17 percent) being the top complaints. “This service is now offered in Telugu and implemented in AP, as 19 percent of the calls received were from the state,” he said.
