Self, Vision, Community workshop series: Quincy

On two consecutive days, June 25 to 26, 2024, the Savesouls Mental Health Relief program contracted by William James College, the Haitian Mental Health Network, served 10 Haitian immigrant newcomers at the Quincy shelter site through the Self, Vision, and Community workshop. The workshop series focused on holistic mental health and community resources and was presented by Savesouls’ President Patricia Mura Desert and Obelle Pluviose, Savesouls CEO.

Safety guidelines were established at the beginning of the workshop and participants engaged in icebreakers sharing their favorite Haitian meals and the area where they’re from in Haiti. Participants then engaged in a series of mental health education and activities such as breathing, stretching, and creating a care plan to promote their mental health care. On day two, more participants joined in and engaged in the highly interactive session on professional development and wellbeing. The presenters and participants explored issues such as environmental trauma and coping, mental health resources, job readiness skills such as mock interviews, job preparation, ESL resources, and other vocational programs for immigrants in Massachusetts.

Overall, the participants reported having benefited from the interactive nature of the workshop. Some parents shared their challenges at home and living in restrictive settings. Collected surveys also show that most participants in that workshop had only been in the US for an average of 3 to 6 months. The presenters addressed participants’ hesitation to accept transitional housing resources after discussing with the site managers that this was an ongoing issue. Participants were receptive to the resources after receiving clarity on the benefits and process of such programs. This particular group can benefit from a coordinated effort between site administration and workshop providers to support addressing current challenges of utilizing community support.

Surveys were collected on both days to measure the benefit of the information provided. Overall the objectives set for the workshop were met. On the mental health day, participants started the workshop by sharing their understanding that mental health meant “someone living on the street”, or “people talking to themselves or hurting other people or themselves.” After the workshop participants reported having a better understanding of mental health and learned the difference between mental health care and mental illness. Participants shared in their feedback that they had never known this information before and this greatly benefited them.

On day two, pre and post-surveys revealed that the participants came out of the workshop with more knowledge about the American workforce, and reported feeling more comfortable utilizing community resources available to them.

The workshop provided by Savesouls is developed for 3 days for 15 hours. This series under this contract was provided in 2 days for 6 hours due to logistic challenges. Participants did not have the opportunity to complete all the activities and participate in a 3rd session to discuss community integration, which is a vital part of this workshop. Participants reported some challenges of not knowing about the workshop in advance. Participants who decided to join on the 2nd day requested if they could attend more workshops in the future. Resources were shared about upcoming workshops by similar providers.

Presenters also observed confusion about the distribution of one gift card per family even in the case where both parents attended the workshops. There was also discussion about whether parents with newborn children could attend the workshop with their children, which presenters allowed since for one couple the baby was 4 weeks old. Overall, this group was very engaged in the information and thankful for the staff that made it happen.

Registration. This group would greatly benefit from continuing formation about mental health care and family resources. They would also benefit from coordinated efforts and discussions between shelter admin and workshop providers on common and current challenges at the site that can be addressed during workshops with external providers. To promote an inclusive approach to services, participants would benefit from a registration process that also allows them time to coordinate their family/work schedule to attend if they so choose.

Childcare. While childcare is not available during these workshops, parents/caregivers can receive an incentive for childcare, and/or parents can be allowed to attend with their children with the agreement of stepping away if the child is not engaging in available desk activities or is disrupting the presentations.

Housing services. Presenters were made aware that participants were declining housing support services due to fear of being evicted to homelessness. This group showed a great understanding of housing programs when the presenters clarified the process. The presenters shared that the hotel was temporary support and encouraged participants to aspire to be as independent as possible. Participants were more inclined to learn about the service because they saw a clear pathway to the economic well-being of their families. However, this session was conducted with only 8 families. The shelter sites would benefit from a community integration or resource workshop in Creole that simplifies these resources for these families.

Group learning. While childcare coverage plays a major role in how many family members can attend the workshop, it was beneficial to have a mental health discussion while both parents from some households were present. Some participants engaged in the discussion to gain more understanding of their family roles and dynamics and how they can support each other’s well-being. It was a meaningful experience to observe husband and wife sharing the changes they will make to create a healthy environment for their children. While this was beneficial for most, the presenters recommend connecting this group of family members to mental health services, specifically gender-based counseling or support groups. Learning and healing as a group is especially impactful for a collectivistic culture such as that of Haiti.