The Mental Health Paraprofessionals of UCA: A Recollection of my Memories

Abstract

In 1989, with the financial support of the Dutch NGO CEVEMO, the Department of Psychology of the UCA University (El Salvador) took up the Project “Children of War” in the community of Copapayo and shortly after in El Barío. Along with the activities carried out, those who were in the project had the opportunity to talk with people who reported fear, recurrent distressing dreams, negative alterations in cognitions and emotions following their exposure to war’s traumatic events. The project was paralysed after six Jesuit priests, including Father Martín-Baró, and two employees were slain at the campus of UCA in November 1989. Some years later, in 1992 with the financial support of Rädda Barnen we took up another project: a School of Community Mental Health Paraprofessionals, a project to train local human resources for community mental health promotion. The training of mental health paraprofessionals is key to effective community interventions. It is aimed to build community systems to cope with the possible damage coming from stressful life events or prevent behaviors that cause psychological damage or social injury that hurts family or community protection and support networks. During three years, 200 mental health promoters from 35 communities located in Chalatenango, Cuscatlán, Cabañas, San Vicente, Usulután, San Miguel and Morazán were trained.