By Anastasha Elliott

Michele Blake, Director of Counselling Services in the Department for Counselling Development is very grateful for the recent grief and bereavement counselling training which a cross section of society of the Federation underwent as part of a visit by the voluntary organisation Global Faith Alliance.

The Global Faith Alliance is a group of Christian medical professionals mainly from North Carolina, U.S.A who travel the world providing invaluable assistance and training as needed.

The group visited The Federation for one week during February 2010 where they gave hands on service and training. They conducted health screenings, assisted in the clinics, provided certified training at the hospitals, visited communities, lent assistance and equipment and provided ongoing training.

Mrs. Blake said the group were on island prior to this visit and during that time were told of the needs of the society. She explained that training in grief and bereavement counselling was requested as a result of the recent and increasing incidents and experiences that contribute too many members of society grieving and mourning.

“There are increased incidents of terminal illnesses and death. There is a need in society for sensitivity to grief and dealing with it,” said Mrs. Blake.

She said that the department cannot respond to every need and is thus trying to decentralize. It is with this in mind she said that the hope for the use of the knowledge imparted is that those persons who underwent the grief and bereavement counselling training will now go back to their various departments and institutions and put the training to use.

“We can’t do it all. We hope that the people take it and use it in their various institutions.” She exampled that the guidance counsellors can now go back to their schools and set up grief and bereavement counselling sessions with students who may of had a close friend who was killed, or perhaps witnessed someone who was killed or a child who suddenly lost a parent through illness.

Some 35 persons; nurses, probation, child care workers, medical and mental health professionals, school guidance counsellors and persons from the Department of Social and Community Development underwent the three days of intense training.

This is the sixth visit by the Global Faith Alliance. Mrs. Blake explained that those persons who underwent training benefited from the expertise of a grief counsellor who holds a PhD in the field and who has travelled extensively providing service in the field.

She noted that the Global Faith Alliance personnel views what they do as a way of giving to societies that may not have as much as theirs. The Counselling Department in the Ministry of Social Development partners with other ministries in ensuring that the group’s visits annual visit impacts as many citizens as possible.

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