Pastors train in mental health care

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Penkwase (B/A),  April 23, GNA – Forty pastors

including three females, were on Friday awarded certificates in mental

health training and called upon to educate their church members

on the management of mental health cases.
Mr. William Saawil Sopiimeh, Chief Health Educator of Ghana

Health Services who made the call also asked them to advocate the

fundamental human rights of persons with mental problems.
“These people who are sometimes handled badly as a result of

their status, are human beings like us and as you have acquired this

knowledge, I entreat you all to advocate their fundamental human

rights”, he said.
Mr. Sopiimeh was speaking at the graduation of the pastors

drawn from various churches in Brong Ahafo after a five-month

training workshop in clinical psychotherapy and counseling (pastoral

perspective), facilitated by Pro-healthcare, a non-governmental

organisation at Penkwase in Sunyani.
The chief health educator stated that “by accepting and treating

them as human beings it will psychologically heal them, as well

as manage the increasing number of mental health cases in our

society”.
Mr Sopiimeh urged the pastors to be worthy ambassadors in the

sensitization and education of the people on the barbaric treatment

meted out to people with mental cases to help curb the menace in

Ghana.
The Reverend Father Peter Gyabaah, director of Prohealth-care,

who is a clinical psychiatrist and a lecturer at Kintampo

Psychological clinical center later explained to the Ghana News

Agency in an interview that since pastors commanded respect in

society there was the need to equip them with knowledge in the

education and management of mental health cases.
He said the pastors were drawn from churches including the

Methodist Church of Ghana, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Church

of Pentecost, Anglican, Assemblies of God, Temple of Praise and

Divine Yard Ministry.
They were trained in mental health courses as the concept of

nature, the mind-body relationship, integrating spiritual and

psychotherapy in pastoral counseling, psychological perspective of

psychopathology, personality disorder and treatment to help detect

such illness early for quick intervention.
Other topics were: supportive counseling, first aid in handling

mental illness, dream analysis and interpretations, family therapy

counseling, spiritual directions versus psychological counseling,

counsel skills and techniques, pastor-client relationship, crisis

interventions and management, as well as the phobia of mental health.
Rev. Father Gyabaah urged the pastors not to relent on what they

had acquired but to put it into practice to help “our mothers, fathers,

brothers, sisters and children who are being tortured at various

psychiatric and church centers”.
He called on all stake holders to join in the campaign and

contribute in cash or in kind to help the NGO to achieve its intended

goals in mental health service delivery.

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