By Dr. Lyn Westman | Mental Health Program Consultant
The Tributaries mental health team served in Nepal last month. Goals were to train a new group of service providers and to follow up with church leaders trained last year.
At the 2-day follow-up in Kathmandu, participants said training had made them more aware of people’s needs. They are more prepared to listen and learn the stories of people who are struggling. Knowing the person’s story helped them to engage in compassionate support and to refer when appropriate. In one case, a man we trained last year was able to help someone who was suicidal.
Koshish, a local organization working with the severely mentally ill, made a presentation to the group. They shared about their work with transitional centers, and how we can work together to help people with severe mental illness. On the final day of training last year, one participant said: “I have learned to respect people with mental illness, and to stop people from throwing stones at them.” At the end of the presentation from Koshish, a brother sang a song about how it feels to be at the other end of the stone. The entire group was deeply moved.
In Nuwakot District, closer to the epicenter of the 2015 earthquake, 18 people attended training for 4 days. This was the first time these service providers had access to any mental health or trauma training. Some of the participants had lost homes during the earthquakes. Our partner, Hope for Nepal, has rebuilt homes in the area and continues to build.
With tears, one participant told the team she had been praying for something like this training to come. She said the content was just what was needed for her to heal and to help others heal.
Training always includes ways to help children. Using the book Baby Finds Grace six participants worked directly with a small group of children. Three of the six continued to work with the children in Nuwakot, helping them through grief and trauma. The other three participants planned to start new groups.
Training local informal service providers builds a safety net where people can find mental health care in the community. Thank you for helping to make this possible.
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