ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A University of Central Florida clinic long-known for helping those struggling with mental health in the community is expanding its reach.
What You Need To Know
- UCF Restores offers 60-minute single sessions
- It will provide virtual counseling at no cost
“We’re really focused on essential workers, people that are feeling stressed and burned out through COVID and the pandemic,” said Dr. David Rozek, UCF Restores assistant professor. “Medical providers, first responders, journalists. The people, who the pandemic hit, we’re still working.”
UCF Restores will offer a 60-minute single session, providing virtual counseling to frontline workers at no cost.
“What I’m hearing is we need something simple, fast that will be helpful,” said Rozek. “For them finding time to have self-care is really tough. We can actually do a lot in one session, provide some skills and create a plan that’s personalized.”
“We are getting all that stress on us, the burnout, you want to say. ‘We’re feeling that,’” said Dr. Shakil Ahmed, AMCC president. “This pandemic may have exposed our stresses. There’s a lot of anxiety in health care workers, (including) depression, insomnia.”
For the last few months, Ahmed and his team have launched pop-up clinics throughout Seminole County, offering COVID-19 testing to the community, alongside the Health Department.
They also continue to run their free medical clinic in Longwood, which they opened three years ago, and utilize a mobile care lab to take treatment to those who are not able to come to them.
“We have been going out to the halfway houses, the shelters,” he said. “Seeing almost 300 to 600 people and testing them on Saturdays.”
But, Ahmed admitted that health care workers, too, feel the stress of the pandemic, and often do not share their feelings and experiences with others.
“I think it’s a good idea for us to vent our feelings,” he said. “Doctors are kind of shy about talking to others about their own anxieties, because that makes you feel weak. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen because we are human, in the end.”
Meanwhile, UCF Restores will continue to treat PTSD-suffering active military, veterans and first responders using their virtual technology program. The sessions are also free, though participants undergo a several-week treatment plan.
According to Rozek, the clinic is offering same-day appointments for frontline workers. Clinicians are available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The number to call is: 407-823-1657
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