Shelter managers receive psychosocial, mental health support

Shelter managers in the British Virgin Islands have benefited from psychosocial and mental health support to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 during the hurricane season.

A government-commissioned media release said the Basic Psychosocial Skills Training for these managers was held online through a webinar.

Explaining the reason behind the intiative, government’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Irad Potter said shelter managers and staff play a crucial role during the hurricane season.

Potter said this year will be even more challenging as everyone is coping with the stressful impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“This series of webinars he added are designed to ensure that the community is better prepared to face this uncertain time,” the release stated.

As part of the support, participants “received guidance on supportive communication, offering practical support, helping people who are experiencing stress and providing support to vulnerable populations and self-care”.

More about the webinar

The webinar was done in conjunction with the Mental Health Unit at the Department of Non-communicable Diseases and the Mental Health of the Pan American Health Organization.

Deputy Director of the Department of Disaster Management Dr Evangeline Inniss-Springer and Dr Claudina Cayetano of the Pan American Organization/ World Health Organization facilitated the online workshop.

The release said these webinars are part of the ongoing Strengthening Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Disaster Management project which began in 2018 stemming from the 2017 disasters.