Mental Health Awareness Month: When Healers Need Healing

*AI-generated image used to protect privacy

At Kupenda for the Children, we walk alongside families as they experience a variety of emotions, from the love and hope they hold for their children with disabilities to times when, despite every effort, they experience unimaginable hardship and loss. During Mental Health Awareness Month, we honor families and professionals like Ruth and Martha who remind us that grief and healing often exist side by side.

The Many Sides of Caregiving

For several years, *Ruth cared for her son, *Nassir, living with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Some days were filled with joy as she sat with him, delighting in his presence. Other days were consumed by frequent hospital visits, physical therapy appointments, and medication refills. During those difficult moments, she came to Kupenda for counseling, where staff created a safe space for her to share and find support.

Walking Alongside Families

Kupenda’s Mental Health Officer, Martha Omar, worked closely with the family. She explained:

“Working at Kuhenza as a psychosocial support officer doesn’t only mean a counseling room and coping skills, it’s walking with parents in times they feel alone. It’s calling to follow up on their well-being. It’s helping that mom understand their child’s disability. It’s organizing that child’s hospital visit. It’s following up to make sure the parent gives the medication as directed by the doctor. I walk with families through the whole system, not just the feelings but the logistics that can wear someone down.” 

According to Omar, Ruth did everything right. She followed medical advice, attended appointments, and made sure her son never missed his medication. Yet one day, he experienced a severe seizure and passed away on the way to the hospital. 

Ruth described the aftermath:

“I asked God, ‘Why me? Why, after all the efforts, and still my child died? Did I not give my best to my child? I did not see any reason to live again and wished I could also die and reunite with my son. … the journey was hard and complicated.” 

When Helpers Carry Grief Too

The loss deeply affected Omar as well. In disability advocacy and psychosocial care, professionals often form close relationships with the families they support. Omar shared:

“Losing Nassir sounded just like a normal thing, but I wasn’t right. It was personal. I had his memories in me, his mother’s number saved. I could sometimes remember his smile when I visited their home. … I showed up for other families. I was functioning on the outside, but inside I was burning. I tell families all the time: ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup,’ but I was trying to pour from a cup with a lot of cracks inside me.” 

Picking Up the Pieces

In the months following her son’s death, Ruth struggled with grief and multiple attempts to end her own life. Her family helped care for her daily needs while Kupenda and another local organization provided ongoing counseling and support. Over time, healing came slowly through consistent care, therapy, and community support. 

Omar also sought therapy herself. She shared:

“Therapy gave me a place where I didn’t have to be the strong one. … I have learned that working with families means you carry pieces of each other. … And when loss comes, we grieve together too. My therapy sessions didn’t bring Nassir back; [they] gave me permission to keep serving without losing myself. …  Secondary trauma is real and healing is not a betrayal of the people we have lost. … Getting support as a professional as we walk this road with families helps.”

Healing Together 

Today, Ruth continues to grieve, but she is rebuilding her life step by step. She shared:

“Slowly, the counseling helped me understand that I did right by my child. I did not fail. … The talks I received have not taken away the grief, but they teach me how to live with it. Thank you for always being there for me.” 

Omar reflected:

“For loss and grief are joy stealers, but in the therapy rooms, we get healing. [Even] healers need healing.” 

As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, we thank the community of supporters who make healing spaces like these possible. Because of your partnership, families facing grief, exhaustion, and uncertainty do not have to walk alone.

*Name changed for privacy

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