End of the project and continuity of activities
The project “Implementation of the model of welfare consultants in the municipality of Telšiai district” is already coming to an end. We want to celebrate the successful results of the project – 387 residents of Telšiai district experiencing mild symptoms of anxiety, stress, insomnia, depression or psychological adaptation problems decided to improve their emotional health, turned to a well-being consultant and successfully completed the counseling course.
We invite those who did not have time to use the service of a welfare consultant not to despair – it is planned that after the project, 1 full-time position will be maintained to provide the services of a welfare consultant for another 5 years, during the year the service will be provided to 192 persons, i.e. 960 persons in 5 years.
In order to actively encourage residents to use the provided service, publicity will continue to be carried out, the capacities of partners and collaborating organizations will be used to ensure the dissemination of information and attract customers, the wards and communities will be involved, and the publicity materials and tools created during the project will be used. The services of a welfare consultant will continue to be free of charge for applicants, the financial obligations to ensure the continuity of the project are assumed by the project applicant – Telšiai district municipal administration, the services of a welfare consultant will be provided by the Telšiai social services center
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the successful implementation of the project – the project applicant, partners, cooperating institutions and everyone else who contributed to the dissemination of the project and the improvement of the emotional health of the residents of Telšiai district municipality.
The final publicizing events of the project took place
On April 15 and April 23, the last, concluding events of the project “Implementation of the model of welfare consultants in Telšiai district municipality” took place.
During the events, the well-being consultant service was presented, who it is for, who is invited to apply, what the consultations look like, and what benefits the people who visit the consultations get. During the event, the excellent results achieved by the project, the demand for the service and the positive feedback of those who used the consultations were also celebrated.
The participants of the event were happy to receive not only useful information about the well-being consultant service itself, but also to spend time meaningfully, learning various interesting facts about the human brain, motivation theory, cognitive distortions, and learning how important it is to recognize mistakes in one’s thinking and how to correct them.
Addition of project attributes
In the course of the project, with unused funds remaining, a decision was made to supplement the project’s attributes, since residents use the distributed opinion-forming attributes in their everyday life to form a positive background for the services of welfare consultants, the resounding chant “Don’t be silent – speak up” attracts the attention of those around them, encourages them to take an interest.
30 units were produced. jumpers and 30 pcs. jackets. The attributes are distributed during the project publicity event or other events.
Consulting success story
How to recognize depression?
Depression is a mental disorder characterized by persistent sadness, low mood, and decreased interest, energy, and activity. We all experience episodes of bad mood from time to time, but depression is diagnosed when this feeling lasts for at least 2 weeks every day. People suffering from depression experience difficulties at work due to lack of motivation, constant fatigue, inability to concentrate. Interpersonal relationships also become alienated, because a depressed person often isolates himself from the environment, avoids communication, and withdraws into himself.
It is believed that depression affects not only the emotional but also the physical health of the sufferer and can cause symptoms such as general body weakness, increased heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness or pain, intestinal pains, joint pains or menstrual disorders. Depression can have a negative impact on already existing chronic diseases, such as: arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart failure.
It is important to remember that depression is often invisible to others and the person with the disease may seem normally calm or even happy. It is important to keep in constant contact with your loved ones, keep in touch, constantly ask about their well-being, show that you care about them, and if you feel the slightest doubts, give all your support and encourage them to seek help. Untreated depression can continue for months or years and can lead to addiction to alcohol or other psychoactive substances or even suicide.
Publicizing the services of a welfare consultant in a social service center
February 23 welfare consultant met with seniors visiting the Day Center of the Telšiai Social Services Center. During the meeting, the service of a well-being consultant was introduced, and those facing emotional difficulties were invited to register for consultations. Anxiety and techniques for overcoming it were also discussed, and some techniques were tested in practice.
Publicizing the welfare consultant service at the vocational training center
Consulting success story
We want to share the story of one woman who successfully completed a counseling course, which shows how important it is to take care of your emotional health in time.
A woman registered for counseling was suffering from various symptoms of depression. He felt constant fatigue, apathy, lack of motivation, he had no energy and desire for anything, including even everyday, ordinary housework. This feeling, in turn, led to the appearance of low self-esteem, self-doubt, until the client found herself in a closed circle, feeling disappointed in herself, but unable to find the strength to change.
During the first consultation, the welfare consultant determined that the emotional state of the woman is very poor, therefore the maximum number of consultations was appointed, which is 8 consultations. The client herself admitted that she had been thinking about seeing a mental health specialist for a very long time, but she kept putting it off until finally she started feeling so bad that she finally realized she had to take action and stop putting it off.
After starting to analyze the client’s thoughts during the consultation, it was revealed that there are countless catastrophic thoughts that are just thinking errors. The woman was introduced to thinking errors and was given the task of filling out a thought recording sheet, which helped to identify harmful thoughts and change them. Learning to process thoughts automatically changed behavior. After activating the correct behavior, her emotional well-being also improved, the client gained self-confidence, began to engage more actively in activities that previously seemed very difficult and impossible to her.
Techniques such as autogenic training, during which attention is focused on oneself here and now, were practiced, as well as various relaxation techniques – listening to meditative music, breathing exercises, walking in nature, during which the woman could devote time to reflection.
After discovering methods that help calm down, regain strength, find motivation, pleasure returned and harmony prevailed in everyday activities and in the family.
Taking care of your emotional health in a timely manner allows you to avoid serious psychological problems in the future. We invite you to take care of your well-being without delay.
Knowing and managing emotions
Knowing your emotions is important for better understanding yourself, managing stress and improving emotional well-being. Here are some tips on how to do it:
1. Monitor your emotions:
The path to knowing emotions begins with awareness. Try to constantly observe your thoughts, feelings and physical state. Ask yourself the questions: “How do I feel now? What affects me? Why do I feel this way?”
2. Try keeping an emotion diary:
Write down your feelings as they arise. This can help reveal certain patterns and, based on them, better understand yourself, your reactions in specific situations.
3. Observe your body’s reactions:
Physical states can reflect your emotional state. For example, tense muscles, rapid heartbeat can indicate tension or anxiety.
4. Learn to recognize emotions in other people:
Pay attention to the other person’s facial expressions, body language, and voice. It can help you better understand not only yourself, but others as well.
5. Pay attention to your emotions:
Try to understand what may have caused your particular emotions. It can be the result of certain situations, events, or even your own thoughts. This can help you learn to avoid situations that cause bad emotions, or learn to respond appropriately to them.
It will be easier to understand emotions if you name them very specifically, the circle of emotions shown in the illustration can help.
Author of illustration: Family Therapy Center
Publication in the regional press
How can each of us help someone who is struggling emotionally?
Why do you suffer from anxiety?
The third project publicity event took place
Why is cognitive behavioral therapy the most popular form of psychotherapy today?
How to learn positive thinking?
The second Welfare Consultant newspaper was produced and printed
The second welfare consultant newspaper has already been published and will soon reach public institutions and organizations in the Telšiai district.
We invite you to pick it up, read it and share it with your loved ones.
We invite you to read the newspaper in online form here or download it in PDF format.
A breathing exercise to help you fall asleep
We are pleased with the growing number of individuals who have used the services of a well-being consultant.
Emotional health by age
According to research, young adults (25-34 years old) experience emotional difficulties the most. This may be due to the fact that they have not yet faced many of life’s challenges and difficulties.
It is believed that older people tend to cope better with stress than younger people because older people have more experience and have learned to manage their emotions better.
However, it should not be forgotten that it is young people who are more often not afraid to talk about their emotional health and the importance of psychological help – they are more confident in contacting themselves and recommending it to their friends.
And here, among older people, mental health problems are a kind of taboo that cannot be allowed to be known to people you know.
However, the elderly are also emotionally vulnerable and face various problems that can be caused by old age, such as loneliness, loss of social contacts, as well as physical health problems. It is important to know that wellness counseling can improve quality of life and help you cope with stress. Consultations are anonymous and confidential, no referral from a family doctor is required, and they are fully funded by the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area, so there is no cost to the person applying.
How to recognize a panic attack
A panic attack is a condition when a person feels strong and unexpected fear, anxiety, which is not related to any real threat, but causes many unpleasant sensations, including physical ones.
During a panic attack, a person may experience breathing problems, increased heart rate, increased sweating, tremors, nausea, dizziness, numbness of the limbs, which last from a few minutes to half an hour.
The exact cause of panic attacks is not known, but it is believed that factors such as brain biochemistry imbalance, heredity can provoke panic attacks
predisposition, stress, depression, medical condition or use of certain substances. Panic attacks can be treated with psychological support, relaxation, exercise, healthy sleep and cutting down on smoking, alcohol and caffeine.
If you suffer from recurring panic attacks, we encourage you not to wait and contact a well-being consultant.
The benefits of exercise for emotional health
Seminars for the involvement of ward staff and community representatives in the model are being started
self-awareness and motivation, principles of activity of well-being consultants and other relevant topics. In order for the services of welfare consultants to be not only accessible, but at the same time stigmatized as little as possible in society, the involvement of communities and their members in providing and recommending these services is important. For people who potentially need specialist help, it is very important to get support from their family and community first. Knowing about the services offered by specialists and their benefits, the persons who participated in the seminars will be empowered not only to recognize problematic situations, but at the same time to direct persons to seek the help of specialists, to properly inform and help family members.
The second article of the project was published in the regional press
The importance of inter-institutional cooperation for the success of the project
High self-esteem - why is it important?
A person with high self-esteem is self-confident, able to overcome failures, stress, anxiety, and is not afraid to achieve a goal. As self-esteem decreases, self-depreciation occurs, a person is afraid to try something new, gets disappointed with himself at the slightest failure, and his emotional well-being worsens. Sometimes it seems that everything we do is not successful – but maybe the reason for this is our own thinking errors?
Assess your self-esteem with this test.
The table contains statements about your attitude towards yourself.
Choose whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with the statement.
Interpretation of results:
Calculate the amount of points obtained (by adding up the numbers in the table for the selected answers).
The higher the amount, the higher your self-confidence and your self-esteem. And vice versa,
the lower the score, the worse you rate yourself.
A score below 15 indicates low self-esteem (self-confidence).
Scores of 15-25 indicate average self-esteem (self-confidence).
26-30 points indicate strongly expressed self-confidence
If you feel that you lack self-confidence and are determined to change, we invite you to visit a well-being consultant and learn how to work with your thoughts and emotions.
Publicizing the services of a welfare consultant
On March 9, the Welfare consultant met with the teacher of the Telšiai “Džiugo” high school and the organizer of the Food bank in Telšiai, and presented the Welfare consultant service.
It is very important that people who are surrounded by many people in their daily activities find out about this service and can see for whom well-being consultations would be useful. A sincere recommendation heard from an indifferent acquaintance undoubtedly has a stronger effect than an advertisement seen on a poster in the city.
We invite you to tell your friends and colleagues about the services of the Welfare Consultant. Let’s not forget that often a person who needs help hides behind a smile.
We invite you to register
Burnout is emotional, mental and physical exhaustion
Consulting success story
Seminars for the inclusion of the project applicant, partners and employees of cooperating institutions in the model are being conducted
Wishing you inner peace in the new year
The installation of the office of the welfare consultant has been completed
On November 3, the second publicizing event of the project took place
Produced and printed the Welfare Consultant newspaper
The story of the good practice of the Welfare Consultant was published in the regional press
Welfare consultant Jurgita Juškienė told how the consultations take place
A video clip of public opinion formation was created
Repair and installation of the welfare consultant's office.
The repair and installation of the office of the future welfare consultant is nearing completion.
In order for the premises to be suitable for the provision of such services, simple repair work was carried out, and currently the office is equipped with computer and organizational equipment, household appliances, furniture and tools that improve the quality of the welfare consultant’s work.
We invite you to register for consultations with a well-being consultant. Consultations are currently still provided remotely, but very soon we will invite you to visit the newly installed office at Džiugo g. 6, Telšiai.
Completed welfare consultants training.
Jurgita Juškienė, welfare consultant of Telšiai district, has already completed 6 months duration of training at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and is already starting to provide consultations. Residents of the municipality of Telšiai district (over 18 years of age) who have mild symptoms of stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression and psychological adaptation problems are invited to register for the first consultation. Research-based cognitive and behavioral therapy methodologies are used during consultations.
The services provided by the Wellness Consultant are completely free of charge.
The project is implemented with the funds of the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area.
Made and displayed educational posters for the welfare consultant.
3 educational welfare consultant posters of different designs, adapted for different age groups, created for the project have already been displayed on the bulletin boards of various institutions in the Telšiai district. The posters present the idea of welfare consultants and provide contacts.
The focus of the posters became the slogan #Don’t be silent-talk. With this slogan, simply, understandably and clearly, residents of the Telšiai district who experience mild stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression and
signs of psychological adaptation problems
are invited to seek help with your problems from a well-being consultant. This allows it to be understood that the person applying will be understood,
he will be listened to, he will receive advice, he will be given help.
On March 17, the first publicity event for welfare consultants took place in the Telšiai County Business Incubator.
Residents of the Telšiai district were invited to the 1st publicity event, giving priority to those who feel mild symptoms of anxiety, stress, insomnia, depression or psychological adaptation problems, and those who believe that there are persons in their environment who experience the aforementioned disorders. During the event, the project, its goal and expected results were presented, and the services of welfare consultants were presented. Future welfare consultant Jurgita Juškienė was also invited to present herself at the event.
The welfare consultant spoke in more detail about the methods planned to be used during the consultations and invited everyone who encountered difficulties to register for a consultation. During the event, messages were read about good emotional well-being and positive thinking. The participants of the event took part in the discussion and performed practical tasks. During the break, the participants of the event were invited to enjoy coffee, tea and sweets, and the event was crowned by a quiz, after which all participants were awarded with the attribute of forming the opinion of a well-being consultant.
The attributes of opinion formation were produced.
In order to encourage the residents themselves to advertise the service of a welfare consultant, an opinion-forming tool was produced
(cloth bags, t-shirts, jackets, jumpers) with the slogan #Don’t be silent-talk promoting the services and benefits of a well-being consultant. Residents will use the distributed opinion-building tools in their daily lives to form a positive background for the services of welfare consultants and act as ambassadors for welfare consultants.
The attributes will be distributed during the publicity event.
A good emotional well-being is a condition for the happiness and well-being of an individual and society. Stress rates are particularly high in Lithuania – every second worker in our country suffers from stress at work. Stress in the work environment can cause difficult emotional experiences, damage mental and physical health. There is a lack of strengthening of mental health and emotional literacy among young people as well – today 58 percent. children and young people experience bullying and initiate it themselves. Wellness projects and programs for the retirement age group are mostly aimed at improving physical health. However, the mental health of the elderly requires the same attention as physical health.
The project “Implementation of the model of welfare consultants in the municipality of Telšiai district” is dedicated to the reduction and prevention of health inequalities in the municipality of Telšiai district. The project provides measures to improve the availability and quality of community mental health services.
One of the necessary conditions for the Lithuanian economy to become advanced, sustainable, inclusive and economic growth to be promoted is good mental health of the population. The implementation of the project will significantly contribute to the achievement of one of the national health protection strategic goals – taking care of the preservation and improvement of public health.
The project is implemented with the funds of the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area