Procession at the third graduation at the University of Sacred Heart Gulu. Photos By Simon Wokorach
By Simon Wokorach
Gulu: Sacred Heart University in Gulu City has started providing mental health rehabilitation to members of the community neighboring it.
Northern Uganda has for the past two decades been grappling with hundreds of mental health illnesses that psychiatrists say is partly being caused by the effects of the war by the Lord’s Resistance Army Rebels.
Medics at the mental Health Unit at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital they receive an average of 800 people suffering from mental illness at the facility annually.
Consolate Apio, the Counselor of the University of Sacred Heart Gulu, noted that the University recently established a mental health rehabilitation unit to respond to the threats of post-traumatic stress disorder in the community.
Apio revealed that recently the rehabilitation unit received and attended to four patients with mental health conditions y from the community, while two others were referred from other health facilities.
She further revealed that four secondary schools in the region with the highest cases of drug and substance abuse contributing to mental health challenges are enrolled for continuous counseling in which the students of Counseling Psychology have been pivotal in handling the dilemma.
Although she couldn’t provide details of the school and the statistics of the learners being attended, she noted that the affected schools are overwhelmed with cases of indiscipline and substance abuse disorders.
One of the graduates of Community Psychology, Collin Chua Kisembo, commended the University for introducing counseling which shaped his approach in attending to cases in the community three years after he joined the University.
Kisembo revealed that, before completing the Course, he had already attended to more than 150 people in the community who sought counseling on cases related to domestic violence, drugs, and substance abuse disorders.
Odama commends University on the move
Dr. John Baptist Odama, the Chancellor University of the Scared Heart Gulu, challenged the graduates to provide healing to post-conflict Northern Uganda.
Dr Odama who was speaking during the third graduation ceremony of the University, commended the University for addressing the psychosocial needs of the people.
“You have been empowered now with skills and knowledge, be part of the solutions of the societies so that we achieve our mission of a healthy heart and a healthy mind for development,” Dr. Odama urged.
Odama also noted that although healing from the trauma takes long the University must position itself with quality research and community engagements for addressing the minds of the people.
He further urged the graduands to fight corruption in all forms asserting that humanity has become weak because of corruption which has a far-reaching negative impact on the quality of life of the people.
Increasing gap in trauma healing
The University Vice Chancellor, Dr. Rev. Fr. Jino Mwaka, noted that the number of development partners who could have aided the healing process has drastically reduced.
Dr. Mwaka explained that the University is strategically training the students in Counseling Psychology, adding that many have been dispatched to the health facilities to support trauma healing.
“We realized a need for this and once we train them, they are integrated into the community and hospitals and become supplementary in treatments,” Dr. Mwaka explained.
Since its inception in 2016, the University of Sacred Heart Gulu has graduated 91 students from the major disciplines of Counseling Psychology, Business Intelligence, and Data Analytics and Post Graduate Diplomas in Strategic Management and Leadership.
The third graduation saw 37 students graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics, Post Graduate Diplomas in Strategic Management and Leadership, and others with a Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling Psychology.
Bravo to the entire University of the Sacred Heart Gulu Fraternity