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Now Is the Time to Care for Mental Health – Busan Continues the Nationwide Mental Wellness Support Program

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will continue implementing the Nationwide Mental Wellness Support Program in 2025, offering professional psychological counseling services to citizens experiencing emotional challenges such as depression and anxiety.

Launched in July 2024, the program provides conversation-based professional counseling services through a voucher system to help citizens overcome emotional difficulties.

In 2024, a total of 2,248 individuals applied, with 9,232 counseling sessions provided. This year, the City plans to support services for approximately 6,900 citizens.

Eligible participants can receive eight one-on-one in-person counseling sessions (each lasting at least 50 minutes) within a 120-day period through private psychological counseling institutions.

Eligibility includes individuals:

• ●Referred by institutions such as Mental Health Welfare Centers, Youth Counseling Centers, Wee Centers/Classes (for elementary to high school), or university counseling centers

• ●Diagnosed by psychiatric institutions as requiring psychological counseling

• ●Who scored 10 or above (indicating moderate or higher depression) in national mental health screenings (PHQ-9)

• ●Youth preparing for self-reliance or in extended protection care

• ●Referred through the Community Clinic Mental Health Care Pilot Program

The services are divided into two types (Type 1 and Type 2) based on the qualifications of the counseling professionals, including licensed mental health specialists, school counselors, and clinical psychologists.

Counseling fees are subsidized up to KRW 640,000, depending on the participant’s income level.

• ●Type 1: KRW 80,000 per session (KRW 640,000 total for eight sessions)

• ●Type 2: KRW 70,000 per session (KRW 560,000 total for eight sessions)

• ●Participants pay between 0% to 30% of the cost depending on their income bracket, with full subsidies available for specific groups (e.g., self-reliant youth, extended care children, legally single-parent households)

Participants can choose from approved service providers across the country, regardless of their place of residence. As of April 15, 2025, there are 97 registered providers in Busan. A full list is available on the Social Service e-Voucher website (www.socialservice.or.kr).

Applications can be submitted by visiting the local administrative welfare center with required documentation (e.g., referral letter or medical opinion). Individuals aged 19 and older may apply online via the Welfare Portal (www.bokjiro.go.kr). Each person may apply only once per year, and online applications must be submitted directly by the applicant.

Lee So-ra, Director of the Busan Citizen Health Bureau, stated, “We hope that citizens struggling emotionally will take the first step in caring for their mental well-being through this program. We will continue working to improve public awareness of mental health and enhance service accessibility so that all citizens can maintain emotional wellness in their daily lives.”