ISWAN’s Steps to Positive Mental Health for seafarers is now available in four additional languages and two infographics produced using extracts from the guide.

Steps to Positive Mental Health has been produced by Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr. Pennie Blackburn with support from Shipowners’ Club. It contains skills, exercises and coping strategies to help seafarers deal with their emotions when they are experiencing stress or feeling low.

The guide, forming part of ISWAN’s Seafarers’ Health Information Programme (SHIP), has been translated from English into Filipino, Russian, Chinese and Arabic. These versions, in some of the languages most commonly spoken by seafarers, can all be accessed on the SeafarerHelp website (seafarerhelp.org). Additional translations of the guide in Hindi and Spanish will be available on the website in the New Year.

Two infographics have also been produced to highlight some of the advice and coping strategies found in Steps to Positive Mental Health. The first summarises key areas in which seafarers can take care of their mental health (Body, Achieve, Connect, Enjoy and Step Back), and the second explains a mindful breathing exercise to calm the mind and body during times of stress. The infographics can be found on the SeafarerHelp website or downloaded below.

Steps to Positive Mental Health is part of a series of Good Mental Health Guides produced with the support of Shipowners’ Club. More information on the other guide in this series, Psychological Wellbeing at Sea, can be found here.