Counselors equipped with skills to handle mental health problems

HEALTH

I have acquired tips on how to handle individuals with depression, addiction as a result of substances such as drugs and alcohol.

There was also a lot of networking and I got several contacts where I can refer patients for cases I cannot handle," testifies Scholastica Nasinyama who is  in charge of community support and care services.

Nasinyama is one of hundreds of counselling psychologist and clinical counsellors who participated in a three day conference on mental health that closed on Friday at Silver Springs Hotel in Bugolobi.

During the conference organised by the Uganda Counseling Association, counselors from all walks of life were equipped with skills to manage different mental health issues.

Participants attending the conference. (Photo by Agnes Kyotalengerire)

The president of the Uganda Counselors Association, Gastone Byamugisha said  the three days  training was aimed at improving capacity of counselors to handle the challenge of the growing number of people with mental health problems.

"The knowledge and skills acquired will enable them tell that someone could be having a mental health issue, how to do assessment and where to refer individuals with mental challenges," Byamugisha explained.

He described mental health as a time boom, a condition that is growing and if not recognised, it will soon explode into our faces.

Byamugisha estimated that 70% of patients in Butabika have comorbidity problems; they either have mental health or addiction issues.

Citing a recent case of a student at Makerere Business School who committed suicide, Byamugisha said often many people die as a result of different forms of suicide and addiction. Not to mention losing many working hours due to depression.

Minister of Sate for Primary Health Care, Dr. Joy Moriku Kadocu called for a legal framework specifically for counseling in psycho-social issues.