A Meru-based Administration Police chaplain has encouraged her colleagues suffering with depression to seek help from friends and professionals instead of taking their own lives or harming others.
The Rev Tabitha Mwaniki, a preacher and counsellor at AP Community Church, said she had noticed that most of the police officers who shared their personal problems usually found lasting solutions.
She expressed concern over ‘many’ cases of police harming themselves, their loved ones or colleagues due to stress caused by work or various life challenges.
The Rev Mwaniki encouraged colleagues to attend church regularly and open up whenever they have a problem.
“We have seen many of our colleagues kill themselves because of various challenges, but we are trying something new, like going to church. There is a solution in God and he can deal with any situation. Pulling that trigger and killing yourself is not the solution,” she appealed.
The chaplain said her colleagues had formed self-help groups in the church that encouraged police officers in distress to be detected and given assistance.
“I have counselled many of my colleagues facing various challenges in life and I have seen their lives changing. If you have a problem, seek help. A problem shared is a problem half solved,” she told the Nation. BY DAILY NATION