Haiti: Supporting the national staff to support their people

Médecins Sans Frontières staff provide post-operative, physiotherapy and mental health care in Haiti. © Tristan Pfund /MSF

Rebecca Bennett is an Australian psychologist working in Haiti. Here she journals her experiences during her time in the earthquake-affected country.

17 May
Here in Haiti it is Sunday and our day off.  

The weather is great - hot and sunny! As it is approaching winter in Australia, I have successfully managed to extend my summer by coming to the northern hemisphere.  It is not too hot at night for sleeping which is also good.  There have been a few nights where it has rained a bit - more than at home.
 
We are staying in tents here - the tents are set out like a really nice little campsite so I have the feeling of camping.  The tents are quite hot during the day which makes it unpleasant for any naps during the day or sleeping in.  Otherwise it is good.  The team of international staff is fantastic to work and live with.
 
The campsite has mango trees throughout and the occasional coconut tree and banana tree. It is very tropical and the fruit is fantastic.  We hear the mangoes drop to the ground regularly - some of the trees have so much fruit on them that when they fall it will be like raining mangoes!
 
In terms of the work, I am getting into it and supporting the national staff to support their people.  The training involves working on the micro skills and developing their knowledge and ability to respond to a range of things including grief and trauma.  I have been working with the national staff with difficult cases and developing their skills with clients.  In all it involves training, role modelling and assisting with formulating their interventions as well as attending in some of the consultations.  They are a great group of people to work with.
 
In terms of language, the locals speak Creole and most speak French - I am working on my French and trying to learn some Creole from the translator but I still need him for consultations in both languages.  It is also interesting to hear how strategies/interventions are translated from English into French and into Creole!
 
24 May
We have had some rain a few nights over the last week - and when it rains it rains.  And the mango bombs continue to fall - I am waiting for someone to get hit in the head from a falling mango. If one of the mango bombs does get someone then I'm sure it will hurt.  
 
This week we've had some international staff leave and some come into the project. It's quite sad when people leave as we get to know each other pretty well.  But the energy from new people is good too.
 
I am getting used to working six days a week (but I am missing the two weekend days off).  I am also speaking more French, albeit badly.  I can sort of communicate with the national staff in French and they are patiently trying to teach me some Creole too.  
The children in the hospital have also tried to teach me some Creole and more successfully have taught me a local card game. Some of the children have been in the hospital for some time but they are amazingly resilient.
 
The last week has been busier. We've had a few pre-existing psychiatric cases and as there is no psychiatrist we have needed to work collaboratively with the medical doctors for the medical interventions.  There are also the ongoing effects of the earthquake on people - anxiety, grief, loss etc.  It is a bit of a mix of things with pre-existing mental health conditions and the effects from the earthquake.  More systemically, I have worked out a training schedule for the ongoing development of the national staff and have sat in on some consults working on supervision and role modelling some interventions.  I also plan to work with the other departments in the hospital around understanding mental health and working collaboratively with the national staff psychologists.  There is still a lot to do and I can't believe that I have already been here nearly three weeks! The time seems to be flying by.
    
31 May
The weeks seem to be going by so quickly.  Work has been busy but great.  We've had some rainy days this week - it gets really muddy when it rains but it is still quite humid.  Also the internet does not work when it rains so if I miss an update it may be due to the rain.
 
My fellow international psychologist colleague left this week so I am now the only international psychologist here overseeing the mental health services being run by the national staff. It means that I now supervise, train and oversee the psychologists working in the outpatient department (OPD) as well as the inpatient department (IPD) and a clinic.  Hopefully the team from the various settings can come together more regularly.
 
My involvement with the IPD started with the move of premises for the OPD. Today was moving day and we needed to move the department from Saint Croix to where the hospital is, a couple of minutes by car. St Croix was quite small and temporary (it was under plastic sheeting) while the new buildings are more permanent and made of brick.  So the morning was spent packing up cars and having them unpacked at the other end.  Moving is challenging at the best of times but even with all the challenges, the physical move was fairly smooth.  A rather important detail being that the new buildings for the OPD next to the hospital are not yet completely ready and we can't move into the mental health rooms for another couple of days to see people. For me it’s a great chance to do some training with the psychologists.  But overall the next week or so will be interesting with the unpacking and settling in while also offering a service to the people of Leogane.  
 
8 June
It’s all sunshine and warm weather here in Haïti.  With a little rain at night sometimes - last night there was an awesome thunderstorm and some very bright lightening.

We had a public holiday here last Thursday.  It feels a bit strange to have a day off on a Thursday.  But then all the days seem to merge into the one here and I sometimes forget what day of the week it is.

Work continues to be busy here.  Another psychologist arrived this week which is great to be working collaboratively.  I've also been having a few very basic conversations in French.