Guyana Foundation Launches Series of Suicide Prevention Training Workshops

Georgetown: The Guyana Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a series of suicide prevention training workshops to address the high rate of deaths by suicide in Guyana. These workshops will provide a core group of volunteers with the practical skills needed to conduct basic first-response mental health interventions in schools and communities across Guyana. The first 6-days workshop in this series will commence on October 12, 2015 in Georgetown, and will be conducted by Dr. Latchman Narain, a Guyanese-Canadian mental health professional. Dr. Narain is a registered member of the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrics and Psychotherapists (OACCPP), who holds a Masters and Doctorate degree in Counselling Psychology, and runs the Anger Management Centre of Toronto, Inc. A second set of workshops will be conducted in December by Lauren Johnson, an internationally-recognized and sought-after Guyanese-Canadian psychotherapist. Ms. Johnson holds three Masters Degrees in Counselling Psychology, specializing in Experiential, Transpersonal and Creative Expression Healing methods. She has traveled throughout Canada to conduct presentations on professionalism for settlement and integration counselors, developed various mental health training curriculum, and assisted counsellors dealing with survivors of torture The Guyana Foundation is also in the process of providing the government of Guyana with a robust national mental health and suicide prevention plan, which is being developed by a committee of highly qualified mental health professionals, and informed by studies commissioned by the Foundation in collaboration with researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and York University in Canada. The Foundation will be making recommendations to repeal the antiquated mental health ordinance which dates back to 1930, and for the development of modern, patient-oriented legislation. According to Founder of the Guyana Foundation, Mrs. Supriya Singh-Bodden, C.C.H., “far too many lives have been lost to suicide over the years. The Guyana Foundation continues to be firmly committed to doing its part in addressing this issue. The workshops will not only equip its participants with the basic tools to deal with matters pertaining to suicide, but it will also provide the necessary skills to deal with issues of rape, poverty and domestic abuse that seem to be part and parcel of the decision to end one’s life.” “These workshops are the first in a series of activities that will be unveiled by the Foundation over the coming months to systematically tackle suicidality in Guyana. We believe that the time has come for all Guyanese to become vigilant in their homes and communities across Guyana to become involved and fully engaged in detecting and assisting potentially vulnerable people to find assistance. We look forward to working with the government and various stakeholders on these upcoming projects.”