The Ghana Psychological Association is entreating the Ministry of Education to refer the Senior High School Students sanctioned for misconduct in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to them for psychological assistance.

The President of the Association, Dr. Erica Dickson made the call at the launch of the maiden edition of the Ghana Psychological Week on Monday in Accra.

“You can’t punish just for punishment’s sake. We need to punish with a goal if we must. We need to understand them and steer them in the right direction. It is only the guidance of someone who has the know-how that helps push the person in the right direction,” she said.

The celebration dubbed ‘Making Psychological Relevant to the Ghanaian before, during and after Coronavirus Pandemic, aims at creating awareness about the association and to address psychological issues in Ghana and how COVID-19 has affected the country’s educational system, religious gatherings, social interactions and in all psychological well-being.

Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei while commending the Psychological Association for taking the step, called on the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and the National House of Chiefs to close down all witch camps in the country following the lynching of 90-year-old Akua Denteh in the Savannah Region

Ghanaian Actor, Adjetey Anang who was also at the launch entreated the artistes in the creative industry to engage in the activities that will promote mental health.

“I think that it is important that we look out for the psychological well-being of each other. As you know, restrictions have characterized these times and there have been certain trends that have emerged that we’ve seen some on the domestic front. We’ve seen domestic violence on the increase, rise in divorce cases and so on. We all must be responsible in these times. The creative industry also has a role to play to send out the significance of the celebration,” he said.

The Ghana Psychological Association is a network with membership mainly of Psychology professionals of various psychology sub-disciplines and practitioners of applied psychology including lay counsellors registered and licensed by the Ghana Psychology Council, the regulatory body.