Free psychological counselling available to young people on the website Svejeok.rs

Belgrade, 9 December 2022 – Due to the lack of psychological counselling services for children and young people, especially in less developed municipalities in Serbia, UNICEF has, in partnership with the Centre for the Protection of Infants, Children and Youth, provided the first free online counselling service for youth aged 15 to 30. They now have online video psychological sessions available, which they can schedule on the Svejeok.rs platform. This will ensure psychosocial support for adolescents in the longer term, especially for those from socially vulnerable categories to whom these types of services are not available.
Global data indicate that as much as 75 per cent of all mental health disorders have their onset before the age of 24, and even more worrying is the fact that 70 per cent of young people with mental health problems do not receive adequate and timely support. 

The Svejeok.rs platform was developed in 2022 and is intended for young people who are facing difficulties that can affect their mental health. The platform is a useful source of information for parents, teachers, social workers and everyone who is supporting young people. This website has a variety of reliable and verified information regarding all the challenges that adolescents are facing. Additionally, the platform contains phone numbers where it is possible to get high-quality and free phone counselling support, as well as the chat counselling service that UNICEF is implementing with the National Children’s Helpline (NADEL).

The service was created in line with the legislative framework that governs the privacy policy and it ensures maximum adherence to the rights of young people. The piloting and launching of the service were also supported by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs. 

UNICEF and all its partners strive to improve the psychosocial support system, in order to ensure good mental health and well-being of children, adolescents and their parents and guardians in the Republic of Serbia.