Financial Capability Programme
Wellbeing 360 Webinar
Being Mindful in Everyday Life
In our daily routine, we often find ourselves being physically present in one place but ruminating about several issues, being in the workplace, home, relationships etc The ability to be fully present wherever you are helps us to decrease stress besides having other benefits.
This webinar aims at helping us be fully there wherever we are thus leading to a healthier life.
The webinar being held in Maltese will be delivered by Ms Corinne Vella a trainer in Mindfulness and Ms Nikita Schembri, an Occupational Therapy Student who will help us apply the training to everyday life.
Zoom meeting: Friday, 20th May 2022
Time: 10.00am
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 827 6709 6450
Passcode: 191004
Wellbeing 360 Webinar
Il-bilanċ bejn ħidmietna u ħajjitna
We are currently living busier lives, where we are pressured to excel in all aspects of our lives. Juggling through these different roles, between life and work responsibilities, can be quite a challenge. The way we tackle such situations and the way we balance through different activities in our daily lives, can have a major impact on our mental health and wellbeing. This webinar aims at addressing this phenomenon and its importance, to increase awareness about its effects and to also provide practical functional strategies to help participants lead a healthier routine and lifestyle.
The webinar is going to be delivered in the Maltese language. The speakers shall be Dr. Sandra Borg Esposito (Psychology Department) and Ms. Ritienne Darmanin and Ms. Claire Busuttil (Community MH Occupational Therapists).
Zoom meeting: Friday, 6th May 2022
Time: 10.00-11.00 am
Join Zoom meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85291324368?pwd=cFFvL1ZLWE4zVnAweFg0R3lvRzNCQT09
Mental Illness and Financial Capability Workshops for service users: May Cohort
Workshops for service users are carried out in collaboration between Mental Health Malta, ĠEMMA (which is a government based service within the Ministry for Children’s Rights and Social Policy) and HSBC Malta Foundation.
These workshops address financial capability - defined as a person’s ability to manage finances effectively in order to sustain quality living within one’s means – can produce other tangible benefits for the individual, such as:
Increasing living standards, promoting savings behaviour, planning ahead, making ends meet, staying informed, prioritising and setting realistic financial goals etc.
Service user testimonials:
“Fejn qabel kont nonfoq kollox, illum -il ġurnata qed infaddal 50 Euro fil-ġimgħa.”
“Tgħallimt li jekk għandi 10Euro, nonfoq in-nofs ħa jkolli xi ħaġa fil-but.”
“Irnexxieli nagħraf id-differenza bejn needs and wants. Irrealizzajt li aktar niffoka fuq wants milli needs, b’hekk qed nonfoq ħafna flus bla bżonn.”
Next Workshops:
Dates: 5th, 12th, 19th, 24th May, 2022
Time: 10.00am - 11.30am
Location: Agency Community and Therapeutic Services, 72, Melita Street, Valletta
Language: Maltese
Referral process:
Financial Capability Project – Application Form
For more information, please contact Ms. Cathleen Grima by email on: cathleen.grima@gov.mt or by telephone on: 21487089.
Financial Capability Project May Cohort.pdf
APPLICATION FORM FINANCIAL CAPABILITY.pdf
Mental Health Services: Promoting Mental Health and Well-being of Communities
What is mental health?
Mental health is an essential component of health and can be defined as a state of well-being in which an individual can cope with the stresses of life, can interact with others, earn a living and enjoy life. On the basis of this definition, the World Health Organization has declared that there is “no health, without mental health”.
Mental health may be compromised due to a combination of school pressure, roles and responsibilities, job insecurity, financial problems, loneliness and limited support, effects of Covid-19 pandemic, cyberbullying, intense media coverage etc.
OUR PROJECTS
Mental Health Services has set up various projects to promote health and wellbeing of communities. One of these consisted of talks where the theme of Occupational Balance was discussed with the Ladies Circle in Qormi, St. Sebastian and St. George.
These were delivered by a dedicated team of Occupational Therapists from the Community Mental Health Services. Occupational Balance is achieved when there is an optimal balance between work, self-care, sleep and leisure. Creating a balanced life can consist of many individual factors, such as spending time with family and friends, volunteering, and engaging in a hobby, whilst maintaining key responsibilities in life.
Through this event, 125 Qormi residents were encouraged to engage in healthy habits and routines to facilitate positive mental health and well-being, thus aiding in the prevention and management of chronic diseases.
Community Occupational Therapists are carrying out a lot of work to encourage good practice within the community, through planned talks, workshops and programs that are designed to improve community health outcomes.
Heartfelt thanks to Ms Miriam Cauchi and Ms Rita Cardona who coordinated these events.
Wellbeing 360 Webinar
Trobbija Pożittiva: Ħiliet u Servizzi
Most adults will become parents at some point in their lives and while most of us strive to be great parents, we may also find ourselves confused and frustrated by the seemingly endless challenges of parenthood. We are also bombarded with endless messages about what we should or should not say to your kids. Yet with all our heightened awareness and best possible intentions, as parents, we all need that extra support to help raise our children, because it really may take a village to raise a child.
A National Strategic Policy for Positive Parenting (2016-2024) shows the importance of parenting across all sectors of society.Positive parenting describes a set of parental behaviours that support a child's capacity to love, trust, explore and learn.
It teaches instead of making demands
It seeks to understand instead of labels
It boosts up instead of knocks down
A Webinar, part of the Wellbeing 360 project, shall be carried out by Dr. Charlene Aquilina in collaboration with the Positive Parenting Taskforce.
During this webinar, we shall be tackling how to
• Understand your child’s needs
• Set boundaries
• Use the concept of rewards vs. discipline
• Keep your cool as a parent
• Build positive relationships with your children
• Tap into and use local services
Zoom meeting: Monday 4th April, 2022
Time: 10.00am
Join zoom meeting:
Well-being 360 Webinar
Is-saħħa mentali wara l-ħlas: Kif tieħu ħsieb tiegħek innifsek
Being a mother brings about new challenges following childbirth. A mother needs to change her routine to accomodate her baby’s needs and provide the infant with the necessary care. After birth, around 50% to 80% of women may experience symptoms of anxiety, depression and low mood. These emotions may hinder the mother’s ability to care for herself and her baby. In this webinar, we will be discussing practical ways to manage one’s mental well-being post childbirth.
The Webinar will be carried out in Maltese by Midwife Claire Zerafa and Occupational Therapist Abigail Grech in collaboration with the Perinatal Mental Health Clinic.
Date: Wednesday, 23rd March 2022
Time: 1.30pm
Link to access the webinar:
Caregivers Support and Empowerment Group Programme
Caregivers are the invisible supporters - unpaid, untrained, under-supported, and overwhelmed.
When a person’s functional status declines, a carer or caregiver is the person from their family or network that steps in to help.
Unfortunately, this can have an adverse effect on the carer in terms of leisure activity, career progress, and financial circumstances. Family relationships and their social lives can also be negatively impacted.
Mental Health Services can help you.
Join our Caregivers Support and Empowerment Group Programme (CSEG Programme).
Research shows that professional support and education empowers caregivers to gain control of their lives. Our CSEG Programme is led by three Community Occupational Therapists and a Psychology Practitioner.
The core aims of this pilot programme are to educate, empower and support relatives of service users currently using Community OT rehabilitation services. This project will focus on topics such as enablement, self-care and future planning. This material shall be delivered through presentations, discussions and lived experiences.
Ms Janice Magri, Ms Tracy Rizzo, Ms Ritienne Darmanin & Ms Claudia Borg Azzopardi
Relatives Support and Empowerment Group Programme
Time: 9.30-11.30am
Duration: 10 sessions
Place: FSWS Hall Valletta
Contact Numbers:
Floriana Rehabilitation Centre: 21220955
Qormi Rehabilitation Centre: 21487089
Zejtun Rehabilitation Centre: 21820263
1st session: Expectations and rules
Date: 1st March 2022
2nd session: Potential and Enablement
Date: 8th March 2022
3rd session: Lived Experience
Date: 15th March 2022
4th session: Services available locally for caregivers
Date: 22nd March 2022
5th session: Self-care
Date: 5th April 2022
6th session: Letting Go
Date: 12th April 2022
7th session: Insecurities and a Sense of Loss
Date: 26th April 2022
8th session: Hands on session - @ Qormi Rehab Centre
Date: 3rd May 2022
9th session: Future oriented
Date: 10th May 2022
10th session: Conclusion and Feedback
Date: 17th May 2022
Crisis Resolution Home Treatment (CRHT)
The Crisis Resolution Home Treatment (CRHT) service is a specialist mental health team that provides timely and compassionate psychiatric care to individuals in a mental health crisis.
Throughout the CRHT interventions, service-users are empowered to address their mental health crises and to reinforce their resilience through the provision of evidence-based interventions and psychoeducation. Additionally, the team liaises with caregivers and other stakeholders to facilitate the resolution of the mental health crisis, and endeavours to facilitate the smooth, professional, and non-traumatic transition to other services. Ultimately, service-users are encouraged to foster adaptive coping abilities so that they may avoid or reduce the severity of future crises and achieve a fulfilling and good-quality life, while decreasing the need for psychiatric hospitalisation.
To achieve this, the team operates from Monday to Sunday between 07:00 and 18:00 from the newly refurbished CRHT Clinic outside Mount Carmel Hospital grounds. The team offers intensive follow up at the CRHT Clinic or at the service-user’s residence or community.
Individuals are referred by specialists and trainees in psychiatry after review by the Emergency Psychiatric Service, which operates at the Accident and Emergency Department on a 24/7 basis. For further information kindly contact 23304500/1.
Mental Illness and Financial Capability Project
Financial literacy and financial capability play an important role in building the capacity of a person to manage finances wisely. Sometimes there may be challenges and barriers to action, such as in the presence of mental health problems.
Mental health issues can reduce the ability to understand financial matters, hinder correct budgeting, lead to poor judgement, or trigger impulsive behaviour. Consequently, these problems can place a person at a greater risk of falling into poverty and, in the more serious cases, impede independent living. Such circumstances can add further health difficulties, such as stress, anxiety, depression and decreased life satisfaction.
The building of financial capability and mental health care can work together to achieve financial inclusion and a better quality of life. Increasing financial capability – defined as a person’s ability to manage finances effectively in order to sustain quality living within one’s means – can produce other tangible benefits for the individual, such as:
- increasing living standards,
- promoting savings behaviour,
- planning ahead,
- making ends meet,
- staying informed,
- experiencing fewer mood swings, and
- being better focused, being unable to cope with financial decisions unless these are broken down into manageable chunks, and finding it hard to manage own finances in a forward-looking manner.
It is important that persons feel confident in handling current and future expenditure and income flows, as well as having a mindset geared towards correct financial behaviour. Equally useful is the ability to prioritise and set realistic goals.
Overview about the project
A collaboration has been set up between Mental Health Malta and ĠEMMA, which is a government based service within the Ministry for the Family, Children’s Rights, and Social Solidarity. ĠEMMA has also been awarded funds from an EU project to educate various groups in the community. ĠEMMA, works in partnership with the HSBC Malta Foundation. Modus Operandi of Gemma currently includes setting up a 5 year strategic partnership (2020-2025), in order to ensure that the project will run to its full course.
What has been done so far:
2020
- Memorandum of Understanding for the Strategic Partnership between ĠEMMA – Plan, Know, Act and the Community Mental Health Unit at the Health Division
- Preparation of program material
- Mental Health and Financial Capability pilot workshop. Workshop consisted of 4 training sessions for community mental health services users. Workshops are aimed at helping persons living with mental illness achieve a solid foundation required to manage current income and expenses and plan for future possibilities. A step-by-step process is adopted, while taking stock of the special challenges being faced by persons who suffer mental health problems
2021
- Online presentation for MH professionals to introduce Mental Health and Financial Capability workshops for service users
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 1: Cohort: 40+
- Mental Health and financial Capability Workshop 2. Cohort: Young Adults
Further sessions that are due:
2022
- Trainer sessions for Community Occupational Therapists to continue to disseminate training for service users
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 3
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 4
2023
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 5
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 6
2024
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 7
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 8
2025
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 9
- Mental Health and Financial Capability Workshop 10
- Termination of project
Service user testimonials
"Il-workshops għenuni biex nitgħallem inqassam il-flus biex inkun kapaċi nwettaq il-pjanijiet tiegħi għall-futur. Inħeġġeġ liż-żagħzagħ biex jidħlu għal dan il-kors u ma’ jaqtgħux qalbhom għax utli ħafna."
"Dawn il-workshops għenuni biex infaddal għall-futur tiegħi u ta’ uliedi, biex huma ikunu aħjar minnhi."
"Fejn qabel kont nonfoq kollox, illum -il ġurnata qed infaddal 50 Euro fil-ġimgħa."
"Tgħallimt li jekk għandi 10Euro, nonfoq in-nofs ħa jkolli xi ħaġa fil-but."
"Irnexxieli nagħraf id-differenza bejn needs and wants. Irrealizzajt li aktar niffoka fuq wants milli needs, b’hekk qed nonfoq ħafna flus bla bżonn."
Financial Capability Project: A Mental Health Malta / GEMMA / HSBC Foundation Collaboration
Mental Health & Financial Capability Guidebook - EN /
MT
Well being 360 project
For service users, relatives & the general public
November webinar
A collaboration has been set up between Community Occupational Therapists and MHS Psychologists. The November Webinar, entitled "Is-Saħħa Mentali u l-Kura Personali" will be delivered by Dr.Sandra Borg Esposito. Webinar shall focus on stress and the importance of taking care of one’s mental health wellbeing through self-care.
Target audience: Service users, relatives and the general public.
Description of Well Being 360 online sessions:
- Aim of the project: To engage and educate service users benefitting from Mental Health Services (MCH & Community services) and the general public
- Online monthly webinar series
- Well Being 360 will be hosting various speakers and topics.
Zoom meeting: 30th November 2021
Time: 10.00am-11.00am
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 9227660736
Passcode: 987901
Thank you for your cooperation,
MHS Psychologists & Community Occupational Therapists