보건복지부 영문홈페이지

High Satisfaction Reported for the National Mental Health psychological Support Program: Overall Score of 89.8, with 95.9% Willingness to Recommend

- Ministry of Health and Welfare Conducts Site Visit and Academic Meeting -

Since its launch on July 1, 2024, the National Mental Health psychological Support Program has been implemented to care for the mental health of all citizens by providing professional, dialogue-based psychological counseling services to those experiencing emotional difficulties such as depression and anxiety.

To date, 1,474 counseling institutions and 6,770 certified mental health professionals (including those with multiple certifications) have registered with the program. Since service applications opened on July 1, 2024, a total of 78,982 individuals have applied, resulting in 373,203 psychological counseling sessions provided as of April 14, 2025.

According to a satisfaction survey conducted in 2024 by a professional research firm* with a sample of 1,000 users, the program earned an overall satisfaction score of 89.8. Additionally, 91.3% of respondents reported a reduction in emotional distress, and 95.9% said they would recommend the service to others―highlighting the program’s strong perceived effectiveness.

* Commissioned by the National Health Insurance Service; conducted by Matrix R&C

A separate analysis by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs*, which reviewed 23 service providers and 320 users, further confirmed the program’s effectiveness. Among participants who completed the depression screening(PHQ-9) prior to receiving services, 83.2% showed improvement in their scores, while 82% of those who took the anxiety screening(GAD-7) also reported improved results. Notably, 51.4% and 67.3% of users**, respectively, saw their scores drop from 10 or higher (indicating moderate or greater levels of depression or anxiety) to below 10―demonstrating the tangible impact of the National Mental Health psychological Support Program in alleviating emotional distress.

* “Monitoring and Quality Management Strategies for the National Mental Health psychological Support Program” (Study period: September 2024 – April 2025)

** Comparable to the recovery rates reported by the UK’s Talking Therapies program (2023–2024)

Lee SangWon, Mental Health Policy Officer at the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, “The goal of the National Mental Health psychological Support Program is to create a mentally healthier society by providing high-quality psychological counseling services to those experiencing emotional difficulties. To further enhance the program’s effectiveness, maintaining service quality is essential. We will continue to ensure quality through a monitoring system, performance evaluations, and professional training based on frontline feedback.” ///