The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak had a profound impact on the psychosocial well-being of children and young people. Lock downs and movement restrictions constrained access to socialization, play and physical contact, leaving many confused and at loss. School closures drastically increased their exposure to social media. This, together with the realization of the novel stressors experienced by parents and caregivers, led to increasing episodes of frustration, anxiety, emotional unrest, sleeping and eating problems, withdrawal and even violence. The Study from the Department of Sociology of the University of Murcia on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people in the municipality of Murcia showed that these symptoms remained higher than pre-crisis levels, even after the complete re-opening of the economy.

Amid the growing mental health and wellbeing crisis, the psychosocial counselling service acted as a platform for young people between the ages of 16 and 30 to address some of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. Managed by Centro InformaJoven – an administrative structure dependant of the Youth Department of the City of Murcia – the initiative follows the Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy of the Spanish NHS as well as the Spanish Healthy Cities Network frameworks. Program services comprise preventative measures for maintaining mental health to high quality, more intensive treatments for those
with more severe problems and even early identification and treatment of suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

Personalised sessions with skilled therapists provide mental health support through face-to-face meetings or in home-settings through telephone, email or any preferred online means. Services may be accessed directly. Often, however, young people are unaware of where to go to access mental care or do not feel confident asking for support. In addition, many physicians report lower confidence levels for delivering counselling and psychopharmacological treatments for mental health.

To ensure accessibility and utilization by all young people in need, partnerships with the Health Department of the City of Murcia as well as Social Services allow professionals to refer people at risk to the psychosocial counselling service for treatment. The objective is to allow young adults to navigate the pathways for accessing rapid (average waiting times less than a week) and specialized care. The Health Department also assists therapist with capacity-building to better intervene in a mental health crisis. Personalised care is available all year round (except holidays) at Centro Informajoven. With the realization that mental health care should follow a community-based approach to increase access, the initiative has decentralised its services and currently provides care at three community centres spread across the city of Murcia.

The psychosocial counselling service struck up partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) which play a significant role in helping scaling-up mental care and prevention in various ways. School-based interventions teaching help-seeking skills are possible thanks to the collaboration of NGOs such as Radio ECCA or Fundación ASSIDO, which request them. Any of the 160 educational centres active in the city of Murcia may requests these interventions as well.

The psychosocial counselling service also attends requests to deliver community-based workshops from CBOs such youth clubs, neighbourhood community centres, and other spaces that young people refer to. These are essential for creating a sustainable infrastructure, as they are arguably better placed to approach and win the trust of local communities and conduct a first screening to recognize people in need of care. Vulnerable groups are exposed to higher risk of mental ill health. Poor housing, unstable work conditions, gender-based inequities or low incomes all have a profound effect on mental health and wellbeing. To overcome limited personal and social resources necessary to cope with mental illness, the psychosocial counselling service has also developed and maintains strong liaison with a wide range of partners and stakeholders active in areas at risk. The goal is to expand care to especially vulnerable groups (i.e., immigrant communities, Roman population….) guaranteeing that quality and fast mental health care is part of integrated local programs.

Early detection of mental disorders and seeking help are essential for better youth health and resilience outcomes. As such, the psychosocial counselling service also engages in whole-of-community campaigns as well as community campaigns aimed at a youth audience to improve mental health literacy. These are carried through social networks, traditional media, posters on urban equipment, etc. Messages caution about warning signs such as feeling disengaged from
school, lack of confidence in how to engage with the outside world, use of drugs and alcohol, becoming extremely anti-social, etc., that people should recognise and seek help.

Recognising that early detection and seeking care are key for better wellness and resilience otucomes, specific training targeting teachers, administrative staff, youth workers as well as other non-health related professionals serving youth would allow them to better identify mental health problems and distress, provide basic support and referral to professional mental health services. In addition, good mental health literacy in young people and their key helpers may lead to better outcomes for those in need, either by facilitating early help-seeking by young people themselves, or by helping adults to identify early signs of mental disorders and seek help on their behalf. The City Council of Murcia also deems fundamental to involve children and young people in decision-making about every aspect that concerns them. That includes initiatives shaping youth mental health policies. The creativity of young people makes them influential social agents, especially at local level where administrators are closer to the people.