After more than two years since Hurricane Dorian (2019), the community in New Providence is still recovering. In partnership with CWS and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Bahamas Psychological Association (BPA) is working to support and train communities to fully recover from a hurricane. Following hurricane recovery, BPS helps communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the instability of phone and internet service, transportation difficulties, and social distancing restrictions, the BPA team persisted and worked hard to assist the New Providence community. “You had to think of ways to help those hurt or who had issues based on what occurred with Hurricane Dorian. It was challenging for them to face another situation when they were still grieving with the first,” said Kennita Saunders, the BPA’s communications coordinator.
Kennita Saunders has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The College of The Bahamas, and she graduated with her masters degree from Barry University as a clinical mental health counselor. Currently, she is a junior clinician at The Bahamas Institute for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (BICAMH).
Kennita’s colleagues encouraged each other to try new coping strategies and techniques to give people the support needed. One of their new strategies was virtual assistance sessions. “We still tried to follow up, get online talks with parents, and support the teachers and organizations staff,” she said.
BPA is a non-profit community-based organization working on a national project focusing on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Expansion: Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction in The Bahamas.
Funding, provided by Church World Service (CWS) has helped to support this work. BPA is working along with CWS in their initiative ‘Ensuring Vulnerable Migrants’ Access to Mental Health Support and Other Essential Disaster Management Services project’. CWS coordinates this program in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
BPA offers mental health educational resources, free individual and group sessions, and helplines. These resources focus on responding to disasters. Recently, BPA recognized the need for a helpline for males specifically. Their objective is to develop programs for the male population in the community.
This year’s activities bring a new opportunity to share and support the migrant community. They include training, workshops and webinars. The webinars covered topics like psychological first aid, gender-based violence, self-care, community mapping, and drafting emergency plans. Some of the webinars that took place included ‘Hurricane and disaster preparedness planning for 2022’ and ‘Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Haitian Migrants.’
Byron Antoine Guerrier is the New Providence Island Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Officer. According to him “a good strategy for the future is to look at these things and see how we can do it better next time.” He explained, “hurricane season is on and it comes around so quickly that we have to learn from what went well during that period.”
Guidance Counsellors from schools around New Providence discuss Mental Health and Psychosocial Services (MHPSS)
He added: “it’s a work in progress. Who is doing what and when, how we are committed to helping the community, and try to avoid duplication of work. It’s continuous learning: how to deal with these natural disasters, be better prepared, and move forward.”
Prior to hurricane Dorian, there was little discussion regarding mental health following a disaster. Now, “due to the devastation of Dorian, we are now sitting at the table and talking about the protocols and procedures for mental health” said Kennita. “Mental health and psychosocial support are now part of the discussion and the government realizes the importance of mental health professionals to assist the community with their emotional needs,” she explained.
The CWS Hurricane Dorian Long-Term Recovery Program in the Bahamas is supported by grants from Episcopal Relief and Development, the United Church of Christ, and Canada’s Primate World Relief and Development Fund.
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Learn more about BPA here: http://bahamaspsych.org
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Learn more about IOM here: https://www.iom.int/
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