Frontiers in Psychology on the activities of ACWP UG

The prestigious scientific periodical Frontiers in Psychology describes an initiative to provide free psychological support to students of the University of Gdańsk, initiated by psychologists at the WNS. - UG was one of the first universities in Poland to offer such assistance during the global COVID-19 pandemic blockade in March 2020, we read.

This article is a summary of the activities of psychologists at the University of Gdańsk, who volunteered to help people in need of psychological support at the very beginning of the pandemic - that is, in March 2020.

- 'In it, we will read about what we did at the beginning when formally we were not yet the Academic Psychological Support Centre, but we acted as volunteers of the University of Gdańsk, providing free psychological support. Our activities, in the first phase, were mainly based on a combination of professional experience and intuition,' - says dr Agata Rudnik, director of ACWP UG. - 'The success of our initiative is the creation of the Academic Psychological Support Centre at the University of Gdańsk, which has been operating since March 2021 and in which both students, doctoral students and employees can benefit from free psychological support.'.

Let us remind you that still, due to the continuing epidemiological threat, meetings with psychologists take place mainly online (using Skype and Microsoft Teams). Depending on individual needs, consultations require an appointment. Individuals have access to three sessions, which can last up to 50 minutes. There is also the option of walk-in on-call via Skype, which does not require an appointment.

- 'More and more people need to talk to a psychologist, they are looking for help in solving their problems, big ones and slightly smaller ones. It is for them that we are launching Mental Health Week. We hope that thanks to this many people will feel better,' - adds dr Agata Rudnik.

Elżbieta Michalak-Witkowska/Press Office of University of Gdańsk