Seoul is overhauling its youth mental health support project from a simple psychological counseling aid into a practical system for designing changes in personal life.
Since its launch in 2020, the Youth Mental Health Support Project was enhanced in 2022 with scientifically-based diagnoses, and this year it is being expanded to a structure where participants can directly design and realize changes through policy support connected to counseling.
Participating youths set ‘the version of myself I want to become’ at the start of counseling and conduct the entire process focusing on realizing this goal. The goals are comprised of nine areas including emotional health, self-management, social relations, and career achievement, based on actual participant concerns and analysis of city youth policies.
After counseling, suitable city policies and private partnership programs are connected to the goals. For youths aiming to improve emotional health, garden prescriptions and aroma therapies are provided, while those aspiring for career achievement can access programs like Youth Life Design School, Seoul Job Center, and professional mentoring programs.
The second round of participant recruitment runs from April 14 to 17, open to residents of Seoul aged 19 to 39. Those discharged from mandatory service have the youth age limit extended by their service period, allowing application up to age 42 (born in 1982). Selected individuals will commence counseling from May, with an online pre-assessment for sorting into counseling groups, proceeding with up to 6 sessions for the regular group and up to 10 sessions for the crisis group.
Clinical effectiveness evaluation of 10,074 counselors in 2024 showed increases in self-esteem by 13% and resilience by 17%, and decreases in depression by 18%, anxiety by 19%, stress by 11%, and loneliness by 12%. Follow-up surveys with 889 participants indicated effects lasting over three months.
Perceived effectiveness was also high. Subjective effectiveness evaluations from 3,884 participants in 2023 showed ‘improved self-understanding’ at 92.8%, ‘increased situation awareness’ at 91.9%, ‘ability to open up’ at 92.8%, and ‘perception of psychological support’ at 92.5%.
Starting this year, Seoul will evaluate both clinical effects and subjective perceived effects to measure practical changes from counseling accurately. Pre-assessment uses the Korean Simplified Clinical Language Tool (KSCL95) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Applications can be made via the Youth Total Information website.
Kim Cheol-hee, Director of Seoul’s Future Youth Planning Office, said, “It’s important for youth to set recovery goals for themselves and gain momentum for change. The city of Seoul will connect various policy resources even after counseling to lead real-life changes.”