MHF Joins Suicide Prevention Seminar in Curaçao
September 13, 2026
The Mental Health Foundation represented St. Maarten at the Dutch Caribbean Mental Health Federation's Suicide Awareness & Prevention Seminar in Curaçao on Sept. 10, 2026. Dr. Hendrikus van Gaalen spoke as a featured panelist. Dr. Tameka Lambert led a workshop on fostering hope.
Cay Hill, St. Maarten — Representatives from the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) joined mental health professionals from across the Caribbean for the Dutch Caribbean Mental Health Federation's (DCMH) Suicide Awareness & Prevention Seminar on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the University of Curaçao. Psychiatrist Hendrikus van Gaalen, MHF Medical Director, and psychologist Tameka Lambert, MHF Clinic Coordinator, represented St. Maarten at the event, held on World Suicide Prevention Day under the theme "Together in Prevention, Together in Hope." The regional seminar brought together professionals, organizations, and community partners from across the Caribbean to strengthen collaboration on suicide prevention.
Dr. van Gaalen contributed Sint Maarten's perspective on suicide prevention as a featured panelist during a discussion of the event's four central themes: the unique challenges of suicide prevention in small island communities and how emergency services can respond effectively with limited resources and close-knit social networks; the language, messages, and approaches most effective at breaking through stigma and cultural barriers in diverse communities; how families and professionals can work more closely together on prevention; and which community partners need to be involved in community-based interventions, and how.
Dr. Lambert delivered an interactive workshop titled "Beneath the Surface: Fostering Hope." Using the iceberg metaphor, she explored visible and less obvious signs associated with suicide, supported by sensitive video reflections from Sint Maarten residents who had lost loved ones to suicide. Participants also explored ways to overcome barriers that can stand between a person experiencing hopelessness and a renewed sense of hope, while learning helpful ways to respond, what to avoid, and how each attendee can become a meaningful source of hope and connection in the lives of others.
The Dutch Caribbean Mental Health Federation (DCMH) was officially established in December 2024 and is a collaboration between FSMA Respaldo (Aruba), GGZ Curaçao, Verslavingskliniek Brasami, PSI Skuchami (Curaçao), Mental Health Caribbean (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba), and the Mental Health Foundation (Sint Maarten). The main goal of DCMH is to promote high-quality and accessible mental health care on all islands in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Dr. van Gaalen and Dr. Lambert's participation in the DCMH Suicide Awareness & Prevention Seminar demonstrates the Mental Health Foundation's continued commitment to advancing mental health education, advocacy, and regional collaboration.
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Dr. van Gaalen contributed Sint Maarten's perspective on suicide prevention as a featured panelist during a discussion of the event's four central themes: the unique challenges of suicide prevention in small island communities and how emergency services can respond effectively with limited resources and close-knit social networks; the language, messages, and approaches most effective at breaking through stigma and cultural barriers in diverse communities; how families and professionals can work more closely together on prevention; and which community partners need to be involved in community-based interventions, and how.
Dr. Lambert delivered an interactive workshop titled "Beneath the Surface: Fostering Hope." Using the iceberg metaphor, she explored visible and less obvious signs associated with suicide, supported by sensitive video reflections from Sint Maarten residents who had lost loved ones to suicide. Participants also explored ways to overcome barriers that can stand between a person experiencing hopelessness and a renewed sense of hope, while learning helpful ways to respond, what to avoid, and how each attendee can become a meaningful source of hope and connection in the lives of others.
The Dutch Caribbean Mental Health Federation (DCMH) was officially established in December 2024 and is a collaboration between FSMA Respaldo (Aruba), GGZ Curaçao, Verslavingskliniek Brasami, PSI Skuchami (Curaçao), Mental Health Caribbean (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba), and the Mental Health Foundation (Sint Maarten). The main goal of DCMH is to promote high-quality and accessible mental health care on all islands in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Dr. van Gaalen and Dr. Lambert's participation in the DCMH Suicide Awareness & Prevention Seminar demonstrates the Mental Health Foundation's continued commitment to advancing mental health education, advocacy, and regional collaboration.
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