A#2: Mental Health Training Seminar

“This helped me to understand people's problems, but first it helped me to understand myself,” said Beatrice Nhleko, speaking of the Mental Health Training Seminar led by Dr. Lyn Westman, Mercy Ships Mental Health Program Administrator. Mercy Ships partnered with the KwaZulu Regional Christian Council to offer 45 hours of training in basic counseling skills and mental health assessment to help pastors assess the problems of their parishioners. Beatrice, a pastor and hospital chaplain from the far north village of Ubombo (close South Africa's border with Swaziland), attended the week-long seminar in Pietermaritzburg recently with 31 other northern area pastors.

In the far north region, people commonly seek their pastors' help with all their problems – partly because they trust them, but also because they lack funds to seek help from health care professionals. Many people are victims of human rights abuse caused by a lack of understanding of mental problems.

The Mental Health Training Seminar offered a better understanding of the symptoms that separate physical, emotional and spiritual problems. Dealing with people holistically provides a better appraisal. Beatrice noted, “This was an eye-opener! Sometimes the problems we deal with are only medical, and we are casting out the devil when the devil is not there. Sometimes we don't need to pray and overload God when we can refer the problem to a professional and then pray.”

Beatrice founded a non-governmental community health organization to assist the terminally ill, orphans, and others with social and health problems. She has recruited ten volunteers to work with her to get government funding and access to government grants by documenting community members with personal information, such as birth certificates, which are required for such funding. In addition to the valuable training Beatrice received, the seminar began the process of networking with pastors to work toward mutual goals.

Beatrice admitted she would love more training of this kind, adding, “Sometimes we think we know something, but we don't. Sometimes, we think people are stubborn, when it's us who are stubborn.”

Pharla Gumede is a pastor from the Assembly of God church in a small village near Sondwanaby in northern KwaZulu Natal. He has lectured on theology at Parousia Bible College for the past three years. In addition, once a week he makes a seven-hour visit to a nearby prison where he teaches a course in theology and prays with 73 inmates. He says he must teach about forgiveness before he can begin the theology lessons. The prison students get assignments and take tests just as college students do .When they complete the course, he gives them diplomas and documents their study for credit. Two of his prison graduates are now pastors of large churches.

According to Pastor Gumede, “God can heal psychologically, mentally and socially… but it will start with their heart. First they must change their mind before their spirit can be changed. Then they can accept Jesus. They must then apologize to their victims and ask for forgiveness, even if they are in jail for life.”

He has found this training seminar extremely helpful for dealing with members of his congregation and the prisoners – especially in dealing with trauma and conflict. He is hopeful that additional training will be offered in the future.

Pastor Mezrom Mbonambi, who leads a congregation in the northern village of Kosibay, heads a team of volunteers that go into schools to teach students the importance of education and sexual purity. He said. “I've been longing to have this information for so long, and I see no reason why we shouldn't take this training to our team.”

He cited a case he had dealt with during the previous month – a young girl who was thought to be possessed or mentally ill. He observed, “Now I recognize that this girl was molested. If I had known then what this workshop taught me, I would have recognized it right away.”

Pastor Mbonambi said that the pastors had been looking at all problems as spiritual problems. Now he knows that all problems are not spiritual problems. “Dr. Lyn has helped us to see the signs leading to social and mental problems. Now we can look to the symptoms and address them accordingly, with the help of the Holy Spirit,” he remarked.

He is aware that more people will be coming to the pastors for help, and they must be equipped to handle the problems. Their mission now is to share their new knowledge with others inside their churches. He is very grateful to Mercy Ships and Dr. Westman for the training.

Over the next few weeks, Dr. Westman will conduct this seminar in several more locations in South Africa, thus enlarging the network of trained mental health counselors.

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by John Rolland

Dr. Lyn Westman teaching during the week-long Mental Health Training in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Dr. Westman and her students involved in activities designed to reinforce the information being taught

31 area pastors attended 45 hrs of Mental Health Training, offered by Mercy Ships in partnership with the KwaZulu Regional Christian Council.