ePsychologist
Online mental health support available to clients in various languages.
First steep to positive mental health.
A propos de vous
Section 1: You
Prénom
Krystian
Nom
Fikert
Adresse électronique
Website URL
Organization
PPD-The Psychological Centre
Pays
Irlande, DB
Section 2: Your Organization
Nom
PPD - The Psychological Centre
Site Web
Téléphone
014433961
Adresse
1 Chelmsford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6
Votre organisation est-elle une
organisation à but non lucratif
Pays
Irlande, DB
Your idea
Name Your Project
ePsychologist
Country and state your work focuses on
Irlande, DB
Describe Your Idea
Online mental health support available to clients in various languages.
First steep to positive mental health.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
ePsychologist project has great space for development in many areas of mental health support.
Within this project is possible to offer:
- support in different languages
- intervention in crisis
- information about various services (mental health)
- simple counselling
- brief psychotherapy
- psycho-education
Services can be available to very broad age group clients.
For implementation of this project we can use newest online technology, and interact with clients more, offering confident and user friendly services.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Non
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
ePsychologist website is open and running from 2008.
From very beginning over 2500 clients used our online services:
- in 2008 350 clients
- in 2009 1200 clients (300% growth of client base)
- in 2010, up to end of August, 1100 clients, with anticipated 1600 clients by the end of this year (35% growth of client base)
Popularity of online psychological service is growing rapidly. We expect constant growth of client base between 25-50% per year.
With anticipation of 2500 clients served annually by 2012.
Problem
Project is addressing mental health awareness in communities across different countries.
In our opinion current situation in many countries is:
*Long waiting list in public services, lack of early intervention
*Private services are accessible but not affordable
*Psychotropic drugs overprescribed
Our resolution to current situation is:
- to offer earlier intervention leading to better mental health
- to offer an alternative solution to medical model
- to be accessible, clients are able to contact with professional within few days after initial contact
- services are affordable, also provides free services
Our primary goal is to be accessible, and promote positive psychology without stigmatization.
Secondary goal is related to suicide prevention and early mental health intervention.
Actions
1. Accessible website - www.epsychologist.eu
2. Access to ticket system - simple queries to mental health team
3. Online seminars and workshops for groups
4. Psycho-educational modules related to different mental health issues
5. Online brief psychotherapy
6. Corporate packages
7. Networking with professionals across globe
8. Scaling project o all countries
Results
By the end of 2013 we will serve to over 3000 clients online annually.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
2010:
1. Part time psychologist to be employed (15hrs per week)
2. Corporate packages to be lunched in Ireland and UK
3. Brief psychotherapy via skype and msn to be lunched (provided by 3 professionals)
4. 5 additional volunteer professionals to be appointed
5. Peer supervision
6. Evaluation by the end of year
2011:
1. Full time psychologist to be employed (35hrs peer week)
2. 5 volunteer professionals to be appointed
3. Development of online educational modules
4. Scaling services to other countries in Europe and outside Europe
5. Services available in minimum 6 different languages
6. Peer supervision
7. Evaluation by the end of year
2012:
1. Additional full time psychologist to be employed
2. Senior psychologist - online supervision
3. Additional volunteers to be appointed
4. Training modules for providers
5. Evaluation
What would prevent your project from being a success?
* Lack of volunteers
* Lack of funding in early stage of development
* Server downtime
* IT crisis
* Lack of security - confidentiality issues
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
Don't know
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Non
Viabilité
A quel étape votre projet en est-il ?
En place depuis 1 à 5 ans
In what country?
Irlande, DB
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Oui
If yes, provide organization name.
PPD - The Psychological Centre
How long has this organization been operating?
1‐5 années
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Oui
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Oui
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Oui
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Non
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
* Board of directors is working under strategy implementation
* Advisory Group is helping us with networking and new ideas implementation
* Links with other NGOs are necessary for source of referrals and cross cooperation
* Links with other businesses are very helpful in relation to strategy implementation and financial planing
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
* funding in developmental stage to employ part time psychologist
* preparation attractive business packages for corporations
* appointing 5 more volunteers
* secure server against spam
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
In 2008 I have discovered that not everybody is able to access professional mental health services in Ireland, Poland. Most of people living in suburbs can not afford to travel and pay for specialist. That is why I have decided to build online support system for clients with Internet access. My belief is that Internet coverage is constantly growing to level where almost everyone will have access. My belief is that people are more interacting in INTERNET on daily basis from year to year. Time spend on online services is rapidly growing. We can include psycho-education, access to mental health support behind social services. We can promote positive mental health better through social networking sites.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
In 2004, I moved to Ireland from Poland where I previously worked as a psychologist. Over time I was alarmed to find out that navigating the Irish health system for clients is much more complicated than I had been accustomed to back in Poland. For example, it typically takes 18 months from the time when the GP of an Irish patient refers them for specialist mental health care in Ireland to the time when they’re actually seen by a psychologist or psychiatrist. In comparison, a crisis intervention in Poland can happen almost instantly. Also, the Irish system appears to be set up to provide clients with zero levels of support or a full, psychiatry-level of intervention when most people in Ireland would benefit from having a lighter level of intervention when they first start encountering mental health issues.
I therefore decided to start up a more flexible model of support that could treat people when and where they needed it most. I wanted to create a service that was the first call for people, when they knew they had to make the toughest call they might ever have to make. I did this by getting other licensed psychologists involved who, like myself, had immigrated to Ireland from countries which provided lighter and more flexible models of support and were happy to support their local communities to have improved mental health outcomes. I called this The PPD – the Psychological Centre.
This is a new and unique model of intervention which has the potential to support thousands of people with mental health problems every year in Ireland. In recognition of my innovative approach and model, I received an award from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland in 2009 and most recently, I won the Social Entrepreneur category of the David Manley Awards.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Email from Changemakers
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
50 words or fewer
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Commentaires
I think leveraging technologies, and connections, especially for folks with mood disorders that make them feel safe and connected is profound. You should know that I lost my best friend to bi-polar disorder, so I could not care more about these issues.
I wonder what risks you run into -- does your capability have any drawbacks to an in-office visit; does it replace the in-office visit; is the idea that online folks may come who would not be willing to otherwise; are you all able to medicate.
One thing our group launched with a Dr. from Johns Hopkins is mood247/com. This is a simple texting capability that allows caregivers, loved ones, docs (whomever the client wants in their network of support) to merely monitor their moods in simple, light text (how do you feel on a scale of 1-10 today). The response rate is near perfect, plus folks add comments, which are very helpful. Maybe something like this would be of help to your patients too.
I'll keep following this, and let me know if we can be helpful.
Best, Chris
Dear Chris,
Thank you very much for your comment.
Through ePsychologist we are promoting accessible and positive mental health.
Our team is working hard 7 days a week, answering text tickets, and supporting clients through Skype service.
However I would like to stress that this is alternative to the traditional face to face contact.
Through ePsychologist we are trying to deal with mild mental health issues and trying to encourage clients with moderate and severe issues to see mental health professional in person.
Thank you for tip and link to mood247 website.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Krystian
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