Connecting Hearts and Minds
A Workshop on Psychosocial Support in Lebanon with the Middle East Council of Churches and Tearfund
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
The Diakonia and Social Service Department – Lebanon’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in partnership with the TearFund organization, organized a workshop entitled "Connecting Hearts and Minds", with the participation of a group of workers in the humanitarian and social fields from different Church Families and Lebanese regions, on 23 to 25 January 2025, at the Padova Hotel - Sin El Fil, Beirut.
This workshop aimed to train participants on ways to manage feelings and behaviors in order to work together to overcome all challenges and difficulties, in addition to enhancing their psychological health and developing their counseling abilities in order to enable them to take care of themselves in correct and sound ways, especially in times of crises, hardship and wars. As well as, the course helped the participants, through various tips and advice, to transfer these acquired experiences and information to the children of their Parishes and communities so that they could in turn overcome all the difficult circumstances they might face.
The workshop included several interactive sessions that focused on the key concepts and guiding principles for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), guiding principles and facilitation skills, concepts of connecting hearts and minds, monitoring tools and self-care strategies, suicide risk assessment and safety planning, as well as identifying a safe environment and referral ways to health and medical centers.
At the end of the sessions, each participant received a Certificate of Attendance and appreciation, expressing how much they benefited from this workshop as they were able to ask their questions and inquiries, and share their experiences and opinions.
