Psychologists team boosted to meet maritime demand

(Posted on 26/04/21)

Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS) is strengthening its team of clinical psychologists in a bid to meet the demand for its services from ship owners and ship managers.

The company, which provides professional mental health support across the maritime sector, has recruited nine additional psychologists who will start work immediately due to the increased demand for mental health support.

Welcoming the news, Charles Watkins, Founder and Managing Consultant of MHSS, said: “The Covid crisis shows the strengths and weaknesses of the industry. Building up the mental resilience of our crews at sea has never been as important. There is now awareness of the hardships faced by crew which means the sector is shining a light on mental health to show seafarers their support.

“Our services are developing because the focus is shifting to one of prevention and providing seafarers with coping strategies as well as giving them the access to professional and confidential counselling if they are suffering anxieties or other mental health issues. Mental health is becoming more spoken about and accepted but it also needs constant support to prevent a crisis as something brews under the surface.”

Christian Ayerst, CEO at MHSS, said: “We’re delighted to welcome our new colleagues onboard to help reach a wider remit of seafarers who need our support and guidance. They each bring a wealth of experience and specialisation from understanding the pathology and psychological treatment of depression as well as other psychological states, to providing Psychological First Aid in a cross-cultural setting to individuals who need mental health support. Their areas of expertise mean our team can develop and enhance our much-needed services to the maritime sector.”

MHSS provides one to one counselling and a free 24/7 mental health helpline offering confidential and professional psychological support. It also provides training packages to educate crew on what to expect at sea and can equip seafarers with the tools they need to build their resilience in extreme situations to manage things better. Its team of professional psychologists can also provide tailor-made workshops.