Mental health support for the self-employed: what you need to know
We dug up all the deets so you wouldn't have to.
A small disclaimer first because we know your time is precious: this newsletter will mostly be interesting for freelancers based in Belgium. We’ll explain how freelancers who are experiencing mental health issues can see a therapist free of charge. Naturally, we are very curious to know what options are available (or not) in other countries, so if you have any first-hand input, we’d love to hear from you in our inbox. 📧
With that disclaimer out of the way … Our Belgium-based readers might remember the March newsletter in which I reflected on how the past corona year had been somewhat of a rollercoaster, with all the stressors associated with freelancing spinning by at higher pace and intensity. I also described my relief at finding out that the government would reimburse the cost of eight therapy sessions for self-employed people. Back in March, little was known about the scheme, but we said we would update you as soon as more information became available.
It’s now been nine months since the support measure was first announced, meaning it’s time for an update. Finding the relevant information required some advanced Googling – and we wanted to spare you that effort. Below is an overview of the most important things to know should you need a fresh perspective or listening ear after the last 18 months from hell.
Self-employed people in need of mental health support can take advantage of the new scheme to receive eight free therapy sessions from a certified clinical psychologist or remedial educationalist who has signed an agreement with the non-profit Un pass dans l’impasse. Both the full-time self-employed and those combining self-employment with salaried jobs qualify for this measure, as do individuals who were forced to cease their self-employment activities during the pandemic.
You’ll need to contact a free, bilingual helpline (French and Dutch) at 0800 300 25 to be referred to a certified clinical psychologist or remedial educationalist close to you. If you are already in contact with a clinical psychologist who is involved in the scheme, this person can also submit a request to offer you sessions through the scheme. You can find more information here.
By the way, if you, as part of your own work, come across a self-employed person who appears to be going through a rough time, you can also report this to the non-profit. That way, those freelancers who are unlikely to seek out the help of professionals can also be reached. Of course, these freelancers still themselves decide whether or not they want to take advantage of the help offered.
It’s nice that lawmakers paid attention to the specific needs of the self-employed, but unfortunately you can’t look up how many mental health providers have signed up to the new scheme. You’ll have to pick up the phone to find out who’s active in your area.
And how about this for another step in the right direction … there is also another support scheme that seeks to make mental health services more accessible to more people. It was announced with headlines along the lines of “Therapy sessions accessible to all for 11 euros ($13) from 1 September onward”. Hurray!
But this announcement, too, was not as straightforward at it seemed: as The Brussels Times wrote a couple of weeks ago, only a limited amount of mental health providers will work at this reduced rate and only from next year onward. So, we’re not quite there yet, but one thing is certain – little by little, it is becoming easier to talk about and access mental health services in this country.
Being self-employed means having to learn how to deal with periods when you have too much work and periods when you are drowning in work; it means having to learn how to correctly value your services and pricing them accordingly, not to mention coping with all the uncertainty and stress. Even under ordinary circumstances, it doesn’t seem so crazy that you might need a sounding board every now and then, so never mind the current abnormal times.
We’d be really curious to hear about your experiences should you have already made use of the scheme for self-employed people in need of mental health support. Send us an email at freelancerthefriendly@gmail.com
Take care,
Selma
What I’m reading, watching and listening to this week:
Even before Covid-19, the lines between our work and private lives were blurring. As we edge out of the pandemic, why does setting better boundaries still feel so tough? Food for thought in this article.