Second Chance Africa is a member of the Mental Health Advocacy Committee of the Mental Health Division of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in the Government of Liberia. Along with participating in weekly meetings for strategical planning of service delivery and the implementation of the country’s first Mental Health Bill, we make our staff available to assist with tasks to support their mission and operation in the country.

Staff Training & Empowerment

In our commitment to academic excellence and sustainability, Second Chance annually runs clinical training sessions on psychological intervention. Our local staff members are required to attend our training, and we extend the invitation to other aspiring Liberian professionals working at different organizations or currently at local universities pursuing degrees in social sciences.

A lot of our training sessions turn into exciting debates about cultural differences and the application of western theories and treatment methodologies in Africa. Participants add new material to the curriculum that they believe is important to address, and we take every word seriously. We make sure they understand that it is a mutual process of learning, and that by studying what we know, they will someday be able to teach us what we do not.

This process, along with equipping Liberians to provide services at home, fuels their confidence and faith in their capability to learn and succeed as respected professionals, without depending on western clinicians to do their job for them.

Topics Covered in Professional Training Sessions forPsychological Intervention (2008, 2009 & 2010)

-Psychological Aftermath of Rape and Sexual Abuse
- Sexual Abuse and the offender
- Research and Data Gathering
- DSM-IV Disorders: Substance Abuse and Dependence
- Diagnostic Criteria, comorbidity and challenges
- Anxiety Disorders: Post-Traumatic Stress: nature of trauma/ neuropsychology/ stressors.
- Complex Trauma vs. PTSD
-Exposure, Re-experiencing, Avoidance, Arousal, Duration, Impairment
- Dissociation, Retraumatization – Resilience – Comorbidity – Cultural Implications
- Questionnaires: review and practice
- Reviewing 12 step program booklets, methodology, and group dynamics
- Safe Intervention Method – Mindfulness for Anxiety
- Jacobson and Breathing
- Cognitive Techniques (practical exercises)
- Small Group Dynamics/ Doʼs and Dontʼs
- Depression and Dysthymia
- Depression due to Substance Use /Trauma / Environment