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Director Institute of Applied Psychology, Prof. Dr. Rafia Rafique was a guest speaker for a webinar highlighting Mental Health in the midst of pandemic; role of community Mental health Organizations
Director Institute of Applied Psychology, Prof. Dr. Rafia Rafique was a guest speaker for a webinar highlighting Mental Health in the midst of pandemic; role of community Mental health Organizations


Director Institute of Applied Psychology, Prof. Dr. Rafia Rafique was a guest speaker for a webinar highlighting Mental Health in the midst of pandemic; role of community Mental health Organizations. The webinar was arranged by Dr. Farrukh Zahoor Ahmed Trust of Clinical Psychology, Karachi in collaboration with Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of the Karachi. While reflecting upon the Community Mental Health Organizations’ Services in Punjab amidst pandemic, Prof. Dr. Rafia Rafique shared the initiatives taken by Institute of Applied Psychology, University of the Punjab and the volunteer services provided from the platform of IAP, which included the development of the first-ever tele-mental-health helpline service in Punjab with more than 250 volunteers on-board addressing pandemic-related concerns of the people and helping them deal with the psychological distress caused due to novel coronavirus situation. For the training of the trainees, IAP organized the first virtual conference to design protocol for volunteers of Covid-19 Mental Health Helpline and this was followed by a series of webinars and training sessions by national and international experts. Apart from the indigenous Mental Health Helpline by IAP. Tele-psychology services were also started in Punjab by IAP in collaboration with government of Punjab. To motivate people to stay positive and happy amongst all the chaos and negativity, Prof. Dr. Rafia Rafique started a one-minute video series, where she regularly shared stress-management tips for people from different walks of life. Furthermore, IAP utilized different social media platforms and started a COVID-free Pakistan campaign to encourage people to follow SOPs and protect Pakistan from the harms of the pandemic. Rest of the speakers shared the community services provided by different organizations in their respective regions.Speakers appreciated the role of IAP in providing volunteer community mental health services in Punjab.