What if those who struggled with mental health issues could be trained to help others in the same situation? That’s the idea behind a fresh collaborative effort by Workforce Singapore, several social service groups, and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Through the new programme, those who have recovered from disorders or depression in Singapore can offer peer support to other mental health patients.
Peer Support Specialists
According to the scheme’s developers, recovering mental health patients will be taught how to identify and help people with similar conditions to their own. The patients must first go through a 180-hour programme, offered by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and NCSS. During that course, they learn how to aid recovery for people with poor mental health in Singapore. After completion of the intensive course, the students gain status as “peer support specialists.” They can then apply for an apprenticeship, which leads into a six-month work trial. After that, there is the possibility of a permanent position.
Reinforcement of Recovery
In education, it’s well-known that teaching others is an excellent way to refresh and confirm one’s own learning. When you teach someone else what you have learned, the learning is reinforced in your own mind. For these peer aides, sharing what they have learned not only helps someone else, but also solidifies their own path to recovery.
Financial Support During Training
Another benefit of the scheme is its inclusion of a training allowance throughout the work trial. This extra financial support takes some of the pressure off the participants, allowing them to focus on re-integrating into the workforce without too much stress.
Fresh Career Paths
In the future, the developers of the scheme hope to create new career tracks for programme participants, creating consultant groups where graduates of the programme can work to promote mental health awareness and well-being. The scheme supports inclusivity in the workplace and promotes awareness and acceptance in the community.
Community Outreach Teams
An important part of the scheme is the community outreach plan, in which teams identify demographic groups at risk for mental illness and engage in preventative care. Exercise, brain stimulation, social activities, and art therapy in Singapore are all excellent ways to promote good mental health and a positive lifestyle.
According to the Ministry of Health, plans are currently in the works to more than double the number of outreach teams, bringing the total from 18 to 50 by 2021. Thanks to the influx of new peer support specialists, those teams should be fully trained and staffed, ready to make a difference.
Seeing a Psychiatrist in Singapore
Whether you’re seeking help for the first time or working on continuing your rehabilitation, you can reach out to Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic anytime about mental health issues that may be troubling you. Our family of skilled psychiatrists and psychologists are ready to help you find effective treatment and therapy so you can complete your recovery and move into the next phase of your life.
News Feed from Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic
Source: Straits Times, 8 Sept 2018
