Health ministry does wellness check-in with Christel House
THE MINISTRY of Health & Wellness last Wednesday took its #DoYourShare mental wellness campaign to Spanish Town, with a wellness check-in done with the students and staff of Christel House in the parish.
Christel House Jamaica is a governmentfunded institution owned and operated by Christel House International, headquartered in Indianapolis in the United States.
The institution, which opened its doors i n 2020 and now serves 360 students, is the latest beneficiary of the Wellness Check-In intervention of the Ministry of Health & Wellness, done in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth.
The visit featured Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, who engaged students on their mental wellness while sharing with them some tools they can use, even at a young age, to help to manage their emotions.
Those tools include the use of a stress ball, as well as taking the time to breathe in and out.
Also important, the minister said, is finding a safe space, as well as a safe person with whom they can talk about how they are feeling or to whom they can appeal for help.
“Repeat after me. I am strong. I am favoured. I am great. I love myself. I want to be happy,” Tufton encouraged the students, using words of affirmation – another tool to support of their wellness.
“Give yourself a round of applause,” he added.
The visit also saw the children benefitting from a small group session with director of child and adolescent mental health, Dr Judith Leiba and psychologist Carol Daley of the Glen Vincent Child Guidance Clinic, and the donation of a wellness bench as a symbol for the promotion and creation of safe spaces.
FULFILLING FOR CHILDREN
The school’s principal, Jason Scott, had high praise for the intervention, which also sees the school now in possession of a wellness toolkit that was developed by the health ministry.
“The visit was good, very fulfilling for the children and for the team who were on site,” he said.
“Another plus coming out of this is to keep it student-centred, as the Ministry did today. That type of approach really works well, especially with kids our age group,” the principal added.
The toolkit, meanwhile, was developed in collaboration with Senator Dr Saphire Longmore, a psychiatrist and consultant who has been supporting the national mental health programme. It is a four-part video series looking at the dimensions of health, notably the mental, the physical, the spiritual, and the social.
It features personalities and professionals, such as clinical psychologist, Dr. Kai Morgan; award-winning chef and author, Noel Cunningham; development specialist, Carla Moore; and Pastor Christopher Morgan of Go for God Family Church.
The videos provide viewers with insight into each dimension of health and expose them to tactics they can use to preserve their own wellness. Other available mental health resources include 888-SAFE SPOT (888-723-3776); the U-Matter Chatline that can be accessed by texting the word SUPPORT to 876-838-4897; as well as the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Helpline, 888-NEW-LIFE (888-639-5433).