Getting to know our clinical psychologist: Chris Dunkerley

We sat down with our clinical psychologist, Chris Dunkerley, to find out more about his specialism and how we support global workers and local residents with their mental health.

Tell us more about your specialism as a clinical psychologist? 

Clinical psychologists use psychological knowledge to help treat a range of difficulties including PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, burnout etc. Intervention often takes the form of therapies you might have heard of, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).

 Who are the patients that you work with?

In my HealthLink360 role, I tend to work with adults aged 18+. The majority of clients are humanitarian workers, missionaries, people in Christian ministry, young people taking gap years, or local people in need of help.

What does a working day look like for you at HealthLink360? 

One of the things I love about this job is the variety. On a typical day, I might be assessing resilience in a humanitarian worker who is about to depart for Ukraine, doing a debrief with a missionary based in Zambia, and providing CBT to a UK-based church worker. Then I’m fitting in bits of management work and supporting my team of three counsellors and one other clinical psychologist. One of the good things to come out of the pandemic is the explosion in remote working; about 96% of our work is now done remotely via Teams or Zoom, and it means we can support people almost anywhere in the world.

Why is it important to prioritise the mental health of global workers and volunteers?

Mental health is important to prioritise anyway. Almost all of us will have experienced a mental health difficulty or know someone who has, and we know how awful it can be. Working abroad, often in pressured or dangerous environments, adds a whole other layer of stress. It’s so important to look out for and support those people, who are often isolated and far from home.

What expertise can the psychological services at HealthLink360 offer clients?

All of our team are trained, accredited and experienced as counsellors or clinical psychologists. On top of that, we all have some experience of working or living abroad or of Christian ministry. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, and our collective experience of working in this field is enormous. We offer a wide range of psychological assessments to our clients, from resilience assessments to full psychological assessments for those wanting to serve long-term in ministry or mission work. We provide debriefs for those part-way through or finishing their assignments, and we offer therapeutic support at any stage of the journey.

Are you noticing any trends in mental health that global workers and volunteers should be aware of before embarking on an assignment abroad?

The biggest problems we see in global workers and volunteers are burnout and stress. This kind of work attracts people with caring hearts who believe passionately in what they are doing, but this also makes them vulnerable to working crazy hours and pouring themselves in heart and soul. It is not uncommon for such people to suffer burnout and end up leaving the field prematurely. Sensible working hours, good boundaries between work and rest, plenty of investment in friendships, hobbies, exercise and one’s relationship with God – all of these help to protect against burnout.

What advice do you have for global workers and volunteers who are concerned about their mental health whilst on assignment abroad?

Stop. See what’s happening. Talk to someone - it could be us, or a friend, colleague, or family member. Don’t put it off. Most of these problems are easier to deal with if you tackle them early.

To find out more about the psychological services that we offer click here.

This week marks Mental Health Awareness Week, 13th - 19th May 2024