In this study, 225 Jamaican university students were asked to recall their bullying experiences at elementary and high schools. Being verbally humiliated, robbed, and beaten were the top three frequently-occurring experiences. Acts of bullying by peers and educators were compared for their impact on students' psychological well being. Educator but not peer bullying was associated with specific outcomes including students becoming oppositional, losing trust in others, and being depressed. Outcomes also differed according to the gender of the student and perpetrator. Contextual reasons for school bullying are discussed in relation to levels of violence in a society along with suggestions for future research that can aid in informing school policies.

This paper presents research findings on childrens' responses to migratory separation and later reunion in Caribbean families and the needs of these families when parents migrate and leave their children behind. Implications of this type of separation on children, parents and surrogate caregivers are discussed. The challenges that counsellors in both the 'sending' and host countries face working with this population are also examined and suggestions made for psychosocial intervention and guidelines for counselling in both societies. The need for culturally competent counsellors to work with the growing population of immigrants in North America and Europe is indicated.

Objective: The under-utilisation of mental health services by populations because of inadequate mental health education by community leaders and the public is of concern. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of brief 1-day workshops in educating the public about mental health. Design: Quantitative pre–post evaluation. Setting: Community-based mental health workshops in urban Jamaica. Method: A survey on awareness of mental health resources was completed by 39 community leaders. In addition, 204 participants, who attended three 1-day public educational workshops, anonymously completed evaluations of workshop objectives including met expectations, stimulated learning, and workshop strengths and weaknesses. Of these participants, 157 completed pre–post workshop evaluations to identify subjective improvements in knowledge and competency. Results: Almost 60% of community leaders reported being in regular contact with persons who expressed poor emotional well-being, but typically only referred 25%–30% for mental health counselling. The workshops on mental health education, facilitated by faith-based organisations, were well subscribed by the public and most participants rated them favourably. Significantly more participants reported satisfaction with the workshops on Parenting Practices compared to Workplace Wellness ( p < .05). Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests revealed higher mean scores overall on post-workshop evaluation indicating gain in knowledge and competency; mean pre-test score, 3.26 (0.77), and post-test, 4.38 (0.48), p < .000. Conclusion: One-day mental health education workshops met public expectations and resulted in subjective gains in knowledge and competency. Research is needed to clarify the specific benefits of using public education workshops supported by faith-based organisations to promote mental health.

No abstract