A Certain Army Brigade's Psychological Services Team Builds a Bridge to Officers' and Soldiers' Hearts

From the "Sincere Hotline" to the "Sincere Podcast"

— The Story of a Certain Army Brigade's Psychological Services Team

■ Zhang Ningjia, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Wang Shuyang, Xue Weigao

Late spring, dusk. The moon just rising. Inside the recording studio of a certain Army brigade's "Sincere Sister" (真心姐姐) workshop, the brigade's psychological backbone Xue Yunlisha leaned forward to adjust the microphone, and her gentle, assured voice slowly spread outward: "This is the 'Sincere Podcast,' and I am your 'Sincere Sister' Lisha…"

From a mobile cart loaded with cards and booklets, to the "Sincere Hotline" available at any time to listen and help resolve difficulties; from a dedicated channel on the Strong Military Network (强军网), to the work WeChat accounts commonly used by officers and soldiers, and then to the cloud-broadcast "Sincere Podcast"… The brigade's psychological services team started from a small pushcart, kept pace with the times, stayed close to the needs of officers and soldiers, and pressed steadily forward toward the goal of "delivering psychological services straight to the hearts of officers and soldiers."

Xue Yunlisha still keeps many small slips of paper: there are sudden situations on the eve of assessments — "The exam is about to start, but my body isn't feeling well; I'm really afraid of dragging the company down"; there are the worries of new recruits — "After enlisting, my partner and I entered a long-distance mode — less contact, no companionship, more quarrels"; and there are the concerns of veteran squad leaders — "My family wants to come visit the unit, but it's right in the middle of competition preparations; I'm afraid of getting distracted and I'm very hesitant"…

These slips of paper were all quietly pressed into the team members' hands by soldiers when the team went down to the grassroots to carry out psychological services. "Some introverted soldiers feel too embarrassed to speak face to face, and prefer to write their thoughts on slips of paper, expressing themselves through words," said Xue Yunlisha. At that time, team members had neither advanced equipment nor mature experience; tracking the psychological state of officers and soldiers depended entirely on their own two feet — pushing a small cart loaded with psychological counseling cards and pamphlets, walking into field training sites and into squads and platoons, communicating face to face with officers and soldiers.

At first, some officers and soldiers were somewhat resistant to "psychological services." Team members did not rush or grow impatient; they chatted with everyone about hometown customs, shared study experiences, and discussed training tips, gradually opening up everyone's "heart's door" (心门) one step at a time. On those slips of paper, in handwriting sometimes neat and sometimes hurried, soldiers had written their most genuine states of mind.

"Back then we had no experience — we just ran more, listened more, and accompanied more," said Xue Yunlisha. This sincerity, "run into existence," gradually won the trust of officers and soldiers. But team members soon discovered that as the unit's mission tasks expanded, covering everyone through on-foot visits was impossible to achieve.

After in-depth study, Xue Yunlisha proposed the idea of opening a "Sincere Hotline," which received strong support from the brigade Party committee. But what surprised team members was that for a period after the hotline opened, the phone rarely rang. "To make officers and soldiers trust this phone, you first have to make them trust the person on the other end of the line." At a moment of helplessness, a remark from brigade leadership suddenly opened the team members' minds.

To break down barriers and build trust, team members proactively went down to the grassroots and drew close to officers and soldiers. They used occasions such as political education sessions and Party and Youth League activities to publicize the hotline's service functions and confidentiality rules to officers and soldiers, dispelling their psychological reservations; they created and performed psychological-services-themed cultural and artistic programs, closing the psychological distance in forms that officers and soldiers enjoy; they opened a psychological services column on the Strong Military Network, introducing in detail each team member's personal information and areas of skill, deepening officers' and soldiers' understanding of "the person on the other end of the line."

On one occasion, the brigade selected personnel to participate in a skills competition. Because several assessment results during the preparation period had not been ideal, an internally anxious competitor named Chen Chao, on a whim, dialed the "Sincere Hotline." Xue Yunlisha and team members listened patiently and provided precise counseling, helping Chen Chao relieve his pressure.

Afterward, several more members of the training detachment dialed the "Sincere Hotline" seeking the team's professional services. Through everyone's joint effort, Chen Chao and his teammates performed outstandingly in the competition and successfully won first place in the team event. Chen Chao said with feeling: "The 'Sincere Sisters' are our psychological refueling station and training recharge pack."

This successful practice greatly boosted the reputation of the "Sincere Hotline," and the volume of calls received multiplied.

As WeChat gradually became widespread, the team adapted to the trend of communications technology development, applied for and opened a work WeChat account, and updated daily content such as "psychological tips" in the Moments feed, transforming psychological services from something sought "only when there's a problem" to something "always present."

Team members did not stop there. Were there methods and approaches that better fit the needs of officers and soldiers? Carrying this question, they explored and launched an entirely new mode of service — the "Sincere Podcast."

To ensure the first episode achieved an "opening success" (开门红), team members went deep into squads and platoons for visits and research. In heart-to-heart conversations with soldiers, they found that many soldiers preparing for the military college entrance examination faced the dual pressure of physical training and academic review. Soldier Dai Chennan said that high-intensity training during the day and long hours of review at night, with enormous pressure, had left him suffering from long-term insomnia and had even caused him to briefly consider quitting.

The team therefore decided to use "counseling for exam preparation stress" as the topic for the first episode. Using Dai Chennan's ideological confusion as a representative case, they carefully designed the content, conveying warmth and strength in a relaxed atmosphere of interactive conversation. After the episode aired, Dai Chennan steadied his mindset, devoted himself fully to exam preparation, and ultimately passed into a military academy; many other soldiers preparing for the exam also performed well after their pressure was relieved in time.

Building a bridge to officers' and soldiers' hearts, warming the hearts of officers and soldiers. Today, the brigade's psychological services team's "Sincere Podcast" has received widespread praise, the "Sincere Hotline" remains open 24 hours a day, and the online-offline integrated service system is growing increasingly complete. Yet the team still insists on maintaining the tradition of going down to visit companies. Xue Yunlisha said that the trust carried in the handwritten words on those small slips of paper is the greatest motivation driving team members to keep moving forward. "Our original aspiration is to be that ray of light that warms the souls of officers and soldiers." Xue Yunlisha's words are both plain and resolute.