Episode 5: They Do What They Can
"I was living in a hostel at that time in a giant room with 36 other people. When you travel, things happen, and at night I could hear sniffling or crying. And I'd go over and ask if things were OK, and sometimes they were really not OK. And that's when I noticed there were no...emergency services in English at the time. Then I looked up counseling and there were no native English-speaking counselors there either. And I just thought, I really think this is a niche I can fill."
Maybe now more than ever, the demand for mental health support in English and other foreign languages exceeds the supply in the Czech Republic. Psychologists, counselors, and concerned citizens weigh in on the state of affairs.
If you or someone you know is a foreigner in the Czech Republic at risk of self-harm, please reach out for help from one of the crisis support resources below.
24-Hour Crisis Support
Gail Whitmore, Counseling in Prague (English, Czech, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, French) +420 775 248 363
IMAlive (worldwide online crisis support)
RIAPS (Czech and sometimes English) +420 222 515 400
Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital (Czech and sometimes English; website in Czech only) +420 284 016 111
Low-Cost Online Counseling and Psychotherapy
Prague Integration (donation-based group and individual counseling)
Terapie.cz (formerly Dělám co můžu; website in Czech only)
SOS Center Daytime Crisis Service
Other Resources
Martin Tušl and Markéta Niederlová, “Accessibility and Quality of Mental Health Care for Foreigners in Prague” (ResearchGate)
Prague Against Suicide (Facebook)
Hollaback! Czech (Facebook)
One Billion Rising Prague (Facebook)
This episode was produced with support from Transitions Online. The music is by Blue Dot sessions. Emily Brandi performed the testimony excerpted from Martin Tušl’s research.