Providing an avenue for families seeking mental health services

KAJANG: The Mental Health Ministry of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur is on a mission to provide an avenue within the Archdiocese for individuals, couples and families to seek mental health services and obtain informative resources.

In line with its mission, it annually commemorates World Mental Health Day on October 10 with its own Archdiocesan Mental Health Day. This year, the Archdiocesan Mental Health Day was held on October 13 at the Church of the Holy Family, Kajang. A total of 122 participants were present at this event.

Archbishop Julian Leow officiated the event with an opening address, following the welcoming speech delivered by Fr Philip Chua, the Ecclesiastical Assistant. A live broadcast of the entire Archdiocesan Mental Health Day was available on http://TV.ArchKL.org.

Centring upon the theme United We Stand, Divided We Fall, the plenary session, four concurrent workshops and the forum aimed to promote understanding and strengthening of the bonds of being family, to stand united against current marriage and family life challenges.

The plenary session by Dr Johnben Loy, a US-licensed marriage and family therapist, provided insight on the process of therapy and some practical ideas on how to improve family relationships.

In Becoming a Better Parent: Journey and Grow with Our Kids, Dr Nicole Chen, who is skilled in counselling couples and families with traumatic experiences, emphasised the need for parents to always be curious and practise active listening when interacting with their children.

As a therapist experienced in addressing couple and marital concerns, Dr Yeo Pei Li’s workshop on Personal Space Enhances Family Relations highlighted the importance of personal space in promoting individual growth and cultivating healthy family and marital relationships.

In her workshop on Raising Awareness and Understanding of Mental Health Issues, Mrs Tan Ah Eng, a counsellor with Focus on the Family, spoke about creating a safe home environment where it is alright to talk about mental health issues and where each family member is valued.

Mr Warren Tan, who is experienced in marriage and family therapy, provided ideas on how families can preserve strong connections among its members amid the distractions of the internet and social media in his workshop on Sharing Lives – Connecting Family.

A forum provided participants with the opportunity to pose questions to the speakers, Fr Philip Chua, Dr Nicole Chen, Dr Yeo Pei Li, Mrs Tan Ah Eng and Mr Warren Tan. Dr Christiantine Della, was the moderator of this forum.

Feedback collected from among the participants indicated that Archdiocesan Mental Health Day 2018 has been truly informative and impactful.

For the year 2019, Mental Health Day will be commemorated by AMHM in a series of monthly workshops featuring areas such as using various therapies and counselling, marriage and family, parenting, grief and loss, fostering helping relationships and career.

For more information on upcoming events, workshops and counselling services offered by the Archdiocesan Mental Health Ministry, please call 017-3586188 or email mentalhealth@archkl.org.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online