A network of psychological practitioners has come together to form the Maritime Mental Health Professionals Community of Practice (MMHPCoP).
The Maritime Mental Health Professionals community of practice are united to support the industry as it develops effective approaches to the unique challenges of the maritime industry.
All members of MMHPCoP are accredited mental health professionals. This ensures that they have undertaken comprehensive study in their field to reach the standards of qualifications required by their national professional bodies.
As a network of mental health professionals working in maritime, the group seeks:
- To promote the use of evidence-based practice for mental health and wellbeing in the industry;
- To collaborate with industry and industry stakeholders to develop policy and strategy, encouraging learning from experience – to establish practice-based evidence – to promote mental health and wellbeing, prevent mental health problems and respond effectively when needed;
- To advocate for best practice and support stakeholders to set the bar for standards in mental health across the industry.
The group welcomes growing awareness of mental health in the industry, as evidenced by recent studies, surveys, articles, and discussions at industry events.
We are pleased that there is a growing focus on bringing mental health standards to parity with physical health in the shipping sector, a safety conscious industry in which due diligence around fitness to work is valued and taken seriously through commissioning of services and employment of suitably skilled and qualified staff with regular inspections and audits to ensure safe and efficient operations
The increasing appetite for approaches to mental health promotion, protection, and response mechanisms, has led to an expansion and diversity of mental health guidelines, advice, training, and services becoming available.
Well-intentioned guidance, strategies or interventions that are not supported by clinical research or expertise may fail to help but could make things worse. The provider and the company may become liable
the group concluded.
I agree that it is very important to seek medically competent Psychologists and Psychiatrists to assist during mental health emergencies onboard.
There are professional companies with a global network of Doctors and Psychologists that can assist the Captain to deal withe these emergencies