A 23 year old foreign national who was in India for an exchange prog. is now stuck here due to the lockdown. He doesn’t have a lot of social support here. He is in touch with his country’s embassy. But is having difficulty dealing with this uncertainty. How can I help him?
Bobby1 Answers
Dr. Aarti Jagannathan, Dept. of Psychiatric Social Work, NIMHANS Expert answered 3 years ago
Listen to his anxiety and reassure him that he can reach out to you for emotional support whenever he feels anxious. In a gentle manner, rationalize with him that he needs to accept the current situation and uncertainty to help reduce his anxiety and take care of his mental health. Further ask him to talk to his family regularly so that his perceived social support improves. Ask him to be in regular touch with his embassy so that as soon as services resume, he would be able to get back to his home. The University/ centre where he attended the exchange programme can also be a source of support for him – suggest to him to talk to his colleagues and seniors in the University. The University who coordinated the exchange programme, could also be requested to liaise with the country’s embassy to fast track his travel back home once the lockdown eases.
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