“Fighting Mental Diseases and building resilience in children facing adversity through counseling and psycho-social activities
Goal One.
Healing Orphans in Vulnerable Communities
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
In order to achieve our 2030 sustainable development goals, children have to be in good mental health. Poor mental health hinders learning which is a major step towards sustainable development. War has a devastating effect on children’s mental health as it effects can last a lifetime. Traumatic events have profound effects on cognitive , affective and behavioral aspects of children and causes them to suffer from anxiety disorders, depression, post traumatic stress disorder and other personality disorders.
Goal Two.
Substance Abuse Education and treatment For Adolescents
Drug addiction is a disease found in every 2 out of 10 youths in Cameroon. Youths due to the high consumption of marijuana, heroine and other narcotics suffer severe health issues which also lead to school drop out, poor academic performance and substance abuse disorders. We work in partnership with the South west psychotherapy group and clinical psychologist to treat addicts using cognitive behavioral therapy, detoxification, motivational interview and multidimensional family therapy.
Prevention programs include skills to resist drugs when offered, strengthen personal commitments against drug use, and increase social competency (e.g., in communications, peer relationships, self efficacy, and assertiveness), in conjunction with reinforcement of attitudes against drug use.
Healing Trauma in Vulnerable Children
Therapies for children with anxiety disorders and depression
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Expressive arts therapy
- Music therapy
- Mindfulness and relaxation training,
- Psychodrama and psycho-synthesis.
Therapies for adolescents with depression and post traumatic stress disorder
- Cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT)
- Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
- Group therapy
- Interpersonal Therapy
Therapeutic drawing
Techniques : drawing to express, drawing to distract, drawing manadalas
Therapeutic drawing
Psycho-drama
This therapy employs guided dramatic action to examine problems or issues in orphans’ life using experiential methods, enactment, reenactment, sociometry, role theory, and group dynamics.
techniques:
Role reversal,
soliloquy,
doubling,
mirroring
playback theater
positive psychology program
1. Encourages a positive mindset
2. Develops Relations
3. Promotes planning
4. Develop resilience
Adolescent counseling
Here, we deal with counseling related to issues that are brought by adolescents to the counseling sessions. The counseling issues brought to the sessions can be divided into the major fields of holistic health being emotional health issues, social health issues, issues related to academics, issues related to personal being and issues related to family.
Adolescent behavioral issues
- The adolescent counseling topics majorly include adolescent behavioral issues that are based on the following:
- Anger outbursts
- Abuse
- Hyperactivity
- Disturbed eating pattern
- Disturbed sleep pattern
- Inappropriate sexual behaviors
- Suicidal attempts
Adolescent emotional issues
The counseling issues related to adolescents based on emotional health include :
- Lack of anger management
- Aggressive attitude
- Low mood
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Frustration
- Jealousy
Adolescent issues related to social life
The adolescent social life counseling topics include :
- Difficulty maintaining relationships
- Distrust
- Paranoid attitude towards age fellows
- Having a strong peer influence
- Avoiding social gatherings
- Identity issues
- Having insecure attachment with other people
- Having homosoexual orientation
- Gender identity
Adolescent issues related to family life
- Adoption
- Issues related to witnessing parental conflicts
- Issues related to being sexually abused or harassed
- Parents separation
- Divorce of parents
- Difficulty adjusting to life after death of a sibling
- Difficulty adjusting to life after death of both or any/
Adolescent issues related to personal life
- Low self esteem
- Low self worth
- Lack of purpose in life
- Issues related to personal growth in life
- Issues related to physical ailment
- Issues related to low confidence
- Issues related to medical condition
Sports For Mental Health
psychological benefits of sports
Our mental health programs involves sport as a psycho-social activity to to improve children overall well-being.
Each week, 30 to 1 hour of sporting activities like football and handball, are carried out to to help moderate stress levels in orphans. Exercise causes the releases of happy hormones like endorphins and reduces stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. sports helps improve mood, helps fight addiction, depression and encourage active lifestyle.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Mental Health Innovation Network
International Association of Youth Mental Health
International Association for counseling