‘A listening ear, healing balm for mental patients’

The Founder and President of Trust Jesus Mental Health Foundation (TJMHF) has called on Ghanaians to give a listening ear to people suffering from mental illness.

She indicated that active listening is a powerful clinical tool that “reduces stress, offers greater trust and improvement in their health conditions.”

Madam Mary Wormenor made this call when members of the TJMHF presented some food items to patients at the Pantang Hospital as part of the Foundation’s efforts to show love to patients of mental health institutions in Ghana.

Madam Wormenor observed that listening done well could be more healing than any clinical technique, and that “people who feel heard are 40 per cent likely to seek professional help later on because they know their struggles are valid.”

The Patron of TJMHF, Dr Mrs Adelaide Ferguson, asked government to reconsider the cost of treatment of mental illness in Ghana since the amounts clients paid was on the high side, and that “may push majority of mentally challenged people to the streets.”

Dr Mrs Ferguson, who is also the Women’s Ministry Director of the Meridian Ghana Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, said, “The big surprise was to know that they have to purchase their own drugs which are very expensive, yet such persons may not have capacity to pay.”

She, therefore, advocated for free mental health treatment as a measure of ensuring a smooth mental health delivery in Ghana.

TJMHF visits mental homes every year to assist in mental health delivery.

The visit to Pantang was the seventh outreach of the foundation since its inception in 2019.

The project, dubbed “Smile on a person with Mental illness,” takes place every December, leading the foundation to visit all the psychiatric institutions in the country.

The Mission of Trust Jesus Mental Health Foundation provides relief to persons with mental illness through benevolence and the saving knowledge of Christ.

Its vision is to be the hub for championing mental health care in Africa and beyond. In recognition of efforts of the Foundation, the president of TJMHF was awarded Triumph Mental Health Champion of the year 2025 at the just-ended Triumph Women’s Awards.

Receiving the items, a Senior Nursing Officer at Pantang Hospital, Madam Florence Okpoti, thanked the foundation for the donation, saying efforts impacted positively on health delivery. –GNA

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