She could not sleep properly at night and focus on having a bright teaching career.
Apart from having negative thoughts, she was also having anxiety attacks and was stressed out a lot.
The stressful situation in her life was the result of her experience in the classroom as a high school teacher.
She went to a sub-divisional hospital and the doctor referred her to Empower Pacific for counselling assistance.
The referral was made by the doctor under a long-term partnership that Empower Pacific has with the Ministry of Health & Medical Services.
The partnership looks at a collaborative approach in providing holistic care to people for their mental health and psychosocial well-being.
The teacher, whom we shall refer to as client, met Marica Siliwaqa, a counsellor from the NGO, following the doctor’s referral.
During the session, it was revealed that the client taught subjects related to a particular field.
But after the transfer of a co-teacher to another school earlier this year, the responsibility of teaching two classes landed on her shoulders.
This increased her workload and at times, she felt too stressed to even report to work the next day.
She had constant headaches which caused insomnia, and could not sleep peacefully at night.
The client also said even though certain teachers were assigned to assist her, she still found work stressful.
Ms Siliwaqa worked with the client to separate negative thoughts and change them into positive ones.
She guided the client through some relaxation techniques to help her deal with anxiety.
The client was advised to use positive coping mechanisms to help relax her state of mind.
Ms Siliwaqa motivated the client and assisted her to tap into her strengths that had helped her become a school teacher in the first place.
The client was assisted by identifying some things that she needed to change in her life to enable her to handle her current workload and take advantage of the support network that she has in school.
The counsellor had suggested that the client raise the issue regarding her workload with the school head, which she did.
Ms Siliwaqa followed up with the client after a few weeks to find out about the changes in her life, if any, after attending the sessions.
“I called to check on her after the counselling sessions and I noticed a change in the tone of her voice compared to what it was when she first walked into my office,” she said.
“When we first met, she was talking in a soft, emotional tone. But when I called her, she sounded happy. It was a different, joyful voice.
“This was an indication to me that she had practiced what we had discussed in our first session and was appreciating the end result.
“Seeing the change that counselling has brought in the lives of my clients who were going through difficult issues that affect their mental health brings me joy,” said Ms Siliwaqa.
This is what the client has to say about the effects of counselling in her life.
“I’m able to sleep peacefully at night now and have been able to focus on a positive and brighter teaching career,” she said.
“Thank you for the support and helping me to realise my strengths. I have a better mindset and am back to enjoying my work every day.”
Like the school teacher, other people from different backgrounds have also been referred to Empower Pacific for counselling assistance by doctors at Government managed hospitals.
On mental health at work, the World Health Organization states the following key facts on its website dated September 28, 2022;
- decent work is good for mental health;
- poor working environments, including discrimination and inequality, excessive workloads, low job control and job insecurity pose a risk to mental health;
- 15 per cent of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2019;
- globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity; and
- there are effective actions to prevent mental health risks at work, protect and promote mental health work, and support workers with mental health conditions.
Empower Pacific is an NGO that focuses on the provision of counselling to people facing mental health problems because of various things they experience in their lives.
Apart from counselling, the NGO provides social support.
People can access the services of our counsellors either by calling the 24/7 toll – free counselling helpline 5626, which is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, or by walking in to our offices or via referrals.
- AVINESH GOPAL is Empower Pacific’s media and communications officer based in Lautoka. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.
