MONTEREY COUNTY — Frontline Workers Counseling Project (FWCP), a San Francisco-based nonprofit that pairs frontline and essential workers with private-practice therapists for pro bono counseling services, is expanding its service area to Monterey County.
FWCP, formerly called the Covid-19 Pro Bono Counseling Project, was created in March 2020 by Dr. Elizabeth Rawson, a psychiatrist, and Dr. Michael Levin, a psychologist and psychoanalyst, both working in private practice in San Francisco. The goal of FWCP is to create a rapid-response way for workers on the front lines of the pandemic to have quick and easy access to free psychotherapy.
Healthcare workers, teachers, agricultural workers, postal and delivery drivers, first responders and other frontline and essential workers are eligible for up to 16 free psychotherapy sessions to help them cope with trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, grief or other conditions they have experienced as a result of the pandemic.
“We see this as a matter of social justice, helping those workers who have been traumatized or put at risk simply by doing their jobs during this difficult time,” Rawson said. “Our goal is to remove barriers so all frontline workers who are struggling right now can get the help they need and deserve.”
Frontline and essential workers can go to fwcp.org and connect directly with a therapist. Connections are private and confidential, and there are no income requirements. All sessions are virtual.
So far, hundreds of frontline and essential workers in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Napa, San Joaquin, Yolo, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties have received free counseling through the project.
Licensed mental health professionals in Monterey County are also invited to join the project by offering pro bono services to members of the community in need.
For more information, go to fwcp.org or email co*****@fw**.org.
