Filipino workers abroad often suffered depression especially that they are working apart from their families. Being alone in a country where you can’t hardly speak their language and don’t have enough power to protect yourself is tough especially if you don’t have the means to asks for assistance.

OFWOnline is a counseling site which gives free psychological assistance to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families who want to ask guides and advice on their personal issues.

OFWOnline aims to be OFW’s guide by providing free psychosocial assistance to them. OFWs often faced emotional problems abroad since they are far away from their families and friends, they don’t have someone to talk about their depression. This is where the OFWOnline volunteer psychologist will work on, to be the OFW’s trusted shoulder to lean on. 

Founded in 2008 by Dr. Maria Regina Hechanova, she developed the idea of putting an online counseling site dedicated to OFWS and their families after hearing stories of children who miss their mother or father who work abroad and the sentiments of OFWs who feel homesick and feel sorry to be not able to raise their children and see them grow up.

The counseling site was founded by Dr. Hechanova with the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development in 2008 through a grant from the Singapore Internet Research Center and International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

The online site has 18 professional counselors who are willing to offer their services 7 days a week from 9:00 am to 12:00 midnight. The counselors offer free consultation according to their specializations such as marriage counseling, personal development, family issues, work issues, cultural indifferences, etc.

Aside from free counseling, the OFWOnline also offer chat and forum which will serve as the bridge that will connect the OFW and his/her families left in the country.

OFWOnline is supported by various groups which also offer support to OFWs such as Ateneo de Manila Department of Psychology, Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, and Ugnayan at Tulong Para sa Maralitang Pamilya Foundation, Inc. (UGAT Foundation).

For free psychological consultation, please visit OFWOnline.com.