Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
SAPTEL, the Mexican telephone counseling service, is preparing to expand its work to the state of Chiapas. With the support of the Pan American Health Organization of WHO and the Chiapas State Ministry of Health, service will be provided in the capital city first, then to the entire state. Starting in April, a training course in telephone counseling was offered to local professionals (mainly psychiatrist and psychologist members of ACHIPROSAM, the Chiapan Association of Professionals in Mental Health). Members of Mexico City’s SAPTEL provided the training for the Chiapas group, which will direct the next program for local counselors itself.
SAPTEL Cruz Roja Mexicana (Sistema Nacional de Apoyo Psicologico por Telefono) was founded on 12 October 1992 under the leadership of Federico Puente, M.D., at that time President of WFMH. It has developed an extensive training program for telephone counselors in Mexico City, with support from many health care institutions and organizations. The availability of the service has been publicized on radio and television and it is widely used by people in emotional distress. The service was extended to the state of Puebla last year, using telephone connections to link local residents to SAPTEL’s counselors in Mexico City. Andres Gaitan Gonzalez, the current WFMH Regional Vice President, is prominent in SAPTEL’s leadership and in the new initiative for Chiapas State.