Tourism workers experiencing COVID-19-related mental health challenges will soon be able to access counselling support services under a newly established programme dubbed ‘Talk Yuh Mind’.
The multi-stakeholder initiative is being spearheaded by the tourism ministry’s Tourism Linkages Health and Wellness Network and will be executed by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Centre for Leadership and Governance. Support is also being provided by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).
The programme was launched on Wednesday during a brief ceremony at the UWI’s regional headquarters, Mona, St Andrew.
It aims to raise awareness among tourism workers about who they can contact if they believe they are experiencing anxiety, depression, mental confusion, social deprivation, and stress resulting from COVID-19.
Counsellors and psychologists will also be identified within resort areas to provide the requisite interventions.
An initial 10 counsellors, inclusive of clinical and psychology associates and students of the UWI’s Clinical Psychology Programme, have already been onboarded to provide support.
Their services will be formalised with the signing of contracts shortly.
Tourism workers requiring psychology support services will be able to interact with these and other targeted counsellors via the programme’s website – www.talkyuhmind.com – slated to go live soon.
Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, welcomed the initiative and commended the stakeholder input facilitating its development in a speech delivered by TEF Executive Director, Dr Carey Wallace.
He said research shows that a significant number of tourism workers globally have been affected by mental health challenges since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing out that “we also noticed that pattern here, in Jamaica.
“There is no doubt that that state of mind would have affected productivity, efficiencies, job satisfaction, and it can manifest in the form of self-harm and harm to others,” Bartlett added.
He said in recognition of the tourism sector’s importance to Jamaica’s development, the ‘Talk Yuh Mind’ project was created with the goal of implementing concrete solutions to address the growing mental health concerns among local tourism workers.
Bartlett also assured that the Ministry will continue to offer health and wellness support to the workers through the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
– JIS News
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