Strict social distancing and lockdown measures imposed to curb transmission during the early phase of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to people’s psychological wellbeing, limited access to social support, and disrupted routine mental health service delivery. In response, a consortium of mental health stakeholders from Goa, India launched the COVIDAV program, which provided pro-bono virtual psychiatric and counselling consultations across India through an online platform. This study describes the acceptability and feasibility of the program from the perspective of various stakeholders.

Data were collected via a survey with clinicians who had volunteered on COVIDAV (n = 40), in depth interviews of the clinicians (n = 14), and focus group discussion with key collaborators (n = 1). Process data were mapped at various stages during the online platform’s development and use. The qualitative and quantitative data was analysed using thematic analysis and a descriptive analysis respectively.

Over 17 months, 63 clinicians conducted 2245 online sessions through the COVID platform, primarily accessed by youth across the country. The clinicians acknowledged the online platform’s ability to enhance access and reduce stigma. Challenges included session time constraints, connectivity issues, and user interface inconsistencies that interfered with clients’ accessibility to the services. High satisfaction rates amongst the service providers were reported, with 79.3% content with the service provision and 82.8% with pro bono contributions through the platform.

This study illustrates the feasibility, flexibility, and applicability of a rapidly designed pro-bono online platform for delivering mental health care services through the collaboration of stakeholder groups in the mental health care, private, social, and governmental sector. Our findings highlight the potential of rapidly deployed digital platforms, developed via cross-sector partnerships, to meet mental health care needs during unprecedented global emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID pandemic very much influenced therapeutic organisation of psychiatric care. This also applies to our hospital. Especially therapeutic activities in stationary wards.

We would like to show changes occurring in psychotherapy group of the patients with psychotic disorder in the stationary ward in core of pandemic.

I would like to present a qualitative description of psychotherapy group in the context of COVID. The group is designed for patients with experience of psychosis, grounded in psychodynamic school and has a long tradition at an acute admission in stationary psychiatric department.

During the pandemic there were epidemiological constraints. From six members of personnel in the basic assumptions, we reduced to minimum. So from two co-therapists, reflecting team and an observer, we ended leading the group every second time with one of the therapists. Despite of our efforts to maintain a continuous group, the group was closed for more than half a year and then reactivated based on old rules and roots, but less consistent memory of group members. During this most strict reduction of personnel, which would never have been accepted apart from the pandemic restrictions appeared a few interesting phenomenon. One of them was - twin groups. With the colleague we lead the group every second time. The group shows us a similar picture twice.

As we understand, twin groups is a way to try to keep this group together in its already damaged setting. For the moment the abstract submission group is continuing to work within its present arrangement.

No significant relationships.