The Ministry of Labor pledged to work on improving its free mental health counseling service for workers following criticism by lawmakers about its low usage rate.
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) on Thursday attended a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee to report on the ministry’s counseling service, handling of complaints and social support system for migrant workers.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽) said that while employees under stress or who have experienced bullying in the workplace can avail of six free counseling sessions every year courtesy of the ministry, the service is difficult to access and its usage rate is low.
Photo courtesy of the Hualien County Government
Compared with the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s adolescent mental counseling service, which has served more than 29,000 people within one year and refers high-risk clients to medical services, fewer than 1,000 people use the labor ministry’s service every year, she said.
Chen said that one of her coworkers called the service earlier this month, but the receptionist said that to ensure their eligibility, a prior evaluation was required, which would not be made until the middle of next month.
The labor ministry should review and improve the process, as mental health problems could be urgent, she said.
Ho agreed that promotional activities should be scaled up, saying she had already advocated for the service on the ministry’s official Facebook page.
As many think they cannot use the service without specifying a “workplace problem,” the ministry would modify the definition of “workers’ mental counseling” to involve more people, she added.
Employees who have labor insurance or labor occupational accident insurance, or participate in the labor insurance program through trade unions, can apply for free mental counseling up to six times a year to cope with stress at work.
To use the service, they can call their local occupational health services office during work hours to make an appointment for a doctor’s evaluation.
Once the doctor confirms there are workplace-induced mental health issues, the office would help match the client with a counseling service provider. Their use of the service would not be reported to their company.
As of Sept. 20, 73 counseling institutions had joined the labor counseling program.
The list can be accessed at the Center for Occupational Accident Prevention and Rehabilitation Web site www.coapre.org.tw/Counseling.
While four of the 73 institutions ask the client to pay a registration or administrative fee, others do not require an extra charge.
Meanwhile, the health ministry’s free mental counseling program was on Aug. 1 expanded to include people aged 31 to 45, in addition to those aged 15 to 30. Detailed information is available on its dedicated “Mental Health Support System” Web site at sps.mohw.gov.tw/mhs.
Local governments’ public health bureaus also offer mental counseling services, and people can call for more information and make an appointment.
Those who feel stressed or emotionally disturbed can also call 24-hour hotlines, such as “1925” by the health ministry; “1980” by the Teacher Chang Foundation; and “1995” by Taiwan Lifeline International.
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