Global Mental Health Training

Have you ever wondered what it's like in our mental health training seminars?

We want to give you a glimpse at one of the lessons. The whole seminar is 40 hours - but we're not about stuffy lectures. Here's a one-minute look at the lesson on crisis, from a seminar for church leaders in rural Togo (West Africa). The languages are French and Ewé, but we think you’ll understand.

Watch the video (1 min.)

You can try the lesson at home:

1. First, stand next to another person, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Give each other a small push. You are able to withstand the pressure (stress) because you have a stable base. When we have most of your basic needs met, we can generally handle everyday stress.
3. Next, stand on just one foot. When a crisis comes, everything gets turned upside down, and we have less stability.
4. Push each other again (gently). What happens with that little push? You'll have a much harder time standing up! 

This demonstration shows how crisis affects us. Simple stressors and everyday actions we could normally handle may become very difficult. Understanding this can help us to respond appropriately during a crisis. 

This seminar was part of a collaboration with the Mercy Ships mental health program. The facilitators in this lesson, Samuel and Soulé, are pastors from Togo who have served on the mental health team for several years. 

What we're doing now

The mental health team has not been traveling since the end of March becase of coronavirus, but we've been working on video lessons, and we helped facilitate in Zoom calls with healthcare providers and church leaders to talk about stress and mental health concerns. 

Once things open up, Soulé will lead a seminar for a new group in Togo. Plans are also being made for training in Peru, and follow up with participants in Ecuador. We're also working on a special project in South Africa for incarcerated youth. 

Your support makes all of this possible! Thank you!

Links:

• Watch the video on crisis (1 min)
• Tributaries International website
• Find us in Facebook