Counselling Corner newsletter – LIVE topics, beating bullies, does and don’ts in Myanmar EAP (employee assistance programs)
We hope our newsletter helps a bit to mentally support colleagues, family and friends. During this challenging period we are open from Monday till Saturday (and Sunday’s on request) and operating online through Zoom application or face to face at our counselling centre on Bogalay Zay Street. Please do contact us if you need any help or have questions. Read the Myanmar version of this newsletter on our website
Our Facebook Live sessions are FREE and getting a lot of feedback
Every Tuesday at 7 pm, Counselling Corner is broadcasting a Live session presented by one of our counsellors in Myanmar language. Topics are changing every week and there is time to ask your own question directly to the counsellor. Last week we spoke about Toxic shame (have a look here: Facebook). Topics for February are:
Tuesday 1 February: PTST / CPTSD by counsellor Marlo – have a look here if you missed it
Tuesday 8 February: Trauma and Flashbacks by counsellor Yu Mar Thinn
Tuesday 15 February: Emotional Trauma by counsellor Nora
Tuesday 22 March: Childhood Trauma by counsellor Julia Moenge San
Every Wednesday (6 pm) and Saturday (10 am), Counselling Corner organises FREE emotional workshops talking about the same topic. Attention; you will need to sign up for the free workshop so make sure to follow our Facebook page.
“Beating your childhood bullies”
Traumas of your childhood can have a profound effect on your current life. We see the current events in Myanmar triggering old childhood traumas. Have you felt sad, angry or scared about your own childhood memories? Or were you bullied as a kid and somehow you feel this still influences you?
Counselling Corner is organising a 5-day interactive workshop to help you understand and resolve your own childhood trauma. We do this in a safe and non-judgemental Zoom space in a small group of Myanmar people as the support and dynamics of a group will strengthen the positive outcome. The workshop is interactive and will revisit your childhood, find your fears or core wounds, process painful feelings, create a self-care system, identify the real you and find yourself.
Details on the Childhood Trauma Healing workshop:
Day & time: 7 – 11 February from 5 – 7 pm through Zoom
Language: Myanmar
For: any Myanmar adult who feels his / her childhood feels like a burden
Materials needed: laptop with good camera and microphone and a quiet space
Fees: 100.000 Kyats per person
Not sure if it’s the right workshop for you?
No worries, after signing up, we will first do a private intake session to discuss and see if this is the right workshop for you.
Interested?
Here is the register link of this workshop: https://forms.gle/1Rw3u7v427gUP3zD6 and we will send you an email to invite you for a pre-session through Zoom
This service is unique in Myanmar and in the future we are planning to organise more healing workshops as the benefits of the group process are very powerful. Do get in touch if you have more questions.
Thank you for sponsoring a scholarship!
In the last newsletter we asked for help to support free scholarships for Myanmar students who want to become a counsellor and we’re very happy with the reactions we got from within Myanmar and especially from overseas. Your support gives more people a chance to do the basic, intermediate and advanced counselling skills and start join the growing mental health and counselling sector in Myanmar.
Doh Eain and Counselling Corner cooperation on MHPSS
Counselling Corner has been proud to be working together with Doh Eain to train community leaders in their network to become mental health counsellors. Doh Eain has tapped into their network and made mental health and psychosocial needs (MHPSS) a topic of study.
One of the key findings has been the level of depression:
“Respondents displayed notably high symptoms of depression and anxiety rates. More than half of the sample displayed at least moderate signs of depression, with 1-in-5 displaying severe symptoms. Meanwhile, a third displayed moderate symptoms of anxiety, and 1-in-10 demonstrated severe signs.”
During a webinar, Doh Eain shared further findings from the MHPSS report, and we discussed why MHPSS awareness and interventions are important in the Myanmar context – particularly on a community level, and how they can be fostered through simple trainings and small grants.
Read more about it here: Mental and Psychosocial Health in Yangon Region Report: Needs, Challenges and Opportunities | Heritage Homes (doheain.com)
Counselling Corner is looking forward to continue working closely together with Doh Eain in the future.
Employee Assistance program: what works in Myanmar (and what doesn’t)
Many multi-nationals have contracts to offer mental health services to any staff that needs it worldwide. The three biggest world-wide EAP service providers have selected Counselling Corner as their trusted partner in Myanmar. This has lead to an internal study on what works and what doesn’t work in Myanmar when providing mental health support to your staff. A summary of the does and don’ts:
What works in Myanmar for an EAP program:
- Explain staff that it’s OK to feel not OK
- Group sessions work (people feel encouraged to speak about emotions if others do)
- An open communication culture (also the boss can show vulnerability)
- Training programs and webinars on how to stay mentally strong
- Use Facebook, Viber, Signal to share information
- Emotional workshop; let people listen and share emotions.
What doesn’t work in Myanmar for an EAP program:
- Offering only individual counselling
- An overseas telephone number to make an appointment
- English speaking counsellors
- Bureaucracy, long forms to fill in and waitlist
- Patronizing staff in a condescending way
- Forgetting to communicate to your staff that your head office already paid for the EAP
For Myanmar companies we started an EAP program focussed on Myanmar staff and Myanmar needs. The program includes both group as well as individual sessions and are costs effective (starting from 4 Usd / staff member). Counselling Corner offers 3 categories: Metta, Gayunar and Saytanar (ask your staff what these words mean!)
Please do share / like and contact us if you have any questions or suggestions on the above or want to know more about our services. We want to make it easier for people to talk about mental well-being and we need help for all organisations in Myanmar to discuss mental well-being openly with your team and work on improving it.
You can see the Burmese version of this newsletter on our website.
For enquiries please contact us:
Email : info@counsellingcornermyanmar.com
Phone: 09 785 074 173, 09 784 509 916