On Tuesday (March 13), approximately 20 representatives of the religious community were the latest to benefit from training that will assist citizens in the event of a disaster or critical incident.

The training for members of the Grenada Conference of Churches was conducted by ARD/Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic Psychologist Ms. Curllin Alexis and private Psychotherapist Dr. Hazel DaBreo. Plans are underway to provide similar training sessions for members of The Pentecostal Assembly of West Indies Grenada and other religious groups.

The session focussed on:
• recognising mental, emotional, physical and behavioural symptoms of stress;
• guidelines for assisting a person in a crisis situation;
• guidelines for communicating with a person in a crisis situation;
• developing perceptiveness to feelings;
• helping a person recognise when he/she is not managing stress;
• determining if the person should be referred and to whom the referral should be made.

Participants were apprised of the National Psycho Social Response Model that was developed by the ARD in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development, Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic and other stakeholders. The Response Committee was established as a result of the Model and comprises representatives of the ARD, the National Disaster Management Agency, the Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Carriacou and Petit Martinique Affairs, the Mt. Gay Hospital, the General Hospital and the Grenada Red Cross.

Participants at Tuesday’s training session were provided with the Response Committee names and contact information for referral purposes.

The ARD has facilitated similar training for Public Offices, the non-governmental community and National Disaster Management Agency Shelter Management Committee members, among others.