Couple and Family Therapist, Jomo Phillips who is the Clinical Director of The Relational Practices Ltd launched a free online community Let’s Care For Us on May 6th 2024.
As the World Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month during the month of May, one local mental health practice company is assisting Barbadians by launching their free mental health community.
Couple and Family Therapist, Jomo Phillips, who is the Clinical Director of The Relational Practices Ltd, said due to the lack of information persons have on mental health his company has decided to launch a free online community on May 6th, 2024.
“For many people, mental health support is not always easily accessible. Hence, as a leading mental and relationship private practice, it was important to do a lot more public education and make mental health and relationship resources and mental health education freely available to Barbados and across the Caribbean region. Hence, our Let’s Care For Us community, which was launched on May 6th, 2024. This online community contains mental health and relationship resources, conversations, free virtual workshops, and online courses,” he said.
Phillips who is an ICEEFT Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist said Let’s Care For Us online community seeks to change the narrative surrounding mental health.
“Unfortunately, because of culture and lack of educational resources, mental health becomes an unsafe word. If it is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic taught us, is how to reshape conversations about mental health as persons are now more open about mental health challenges that they experience in that respect. Of course, that openness is far from universal and that is why it is so important for us as mental health clinicians to lead conversations about mental health and bring people together, so we get the opportunity to learn from each other and by having conversations, normalise mental health,” he said.
His company, The Relational Practices Ltd, is celebrating their 4th business anniversary this year; reflecting on his company’s journey thus far, Phillips said it has been a rewarding journey.
“It has been a rollercoaster, but we are always getting the opportunity to learn. One of the things that has helped is that we have bright clinicians who are interested in making a change not only in the lives of their clients but also see the need to do community-based work to change the attitudes and relationships about mental health. One of the highlights of my career is that after giving up my office space, I used to see clients from the computer perched on my bed; now, four years later, I have grown a virtual practice that includes three clinicians and a part-time administrator. That growth tells us not only about the competence of the clinicians in the practice but also about the needs of persons living in Barbados as well as in the region. It shows us that many persons in the region are seeing their mental health as a priority and are actively seeking ways to manage it by investing in therapy and healing,” he said.
Phillips invited persons to join the Let’s Care For Us Community by joining the link tinyurl.com/2z3wp6fe
(PR)