Held at the WAJSIC headquarters, the workshop brought together residents from the organization’s safe houses across Ghana. The participants—whistleblowers, activists, and journalists living in hiding after work-related threats—were a mix of English and French speakers. The session was facilitated by Dr. Rita Appiah-Danquah, a clinical psychologist who tailored mental health information to their high-risk backgrounds.

While all newly admitted residents routinely undergo psychological sessions for fresh trauma, this workshop served as an upgraded, more intensive version of that intake. Before the sessions began, the Operations Officer for WAJSIC, speaking on behalf of founder Anas Aremeyaw Anas, urged participants to fully engage. “Let us all cooperate to make these three days a very fruitful one,” he said.

Dr. Appiah-Danquah defined mental health as sound well-being: thinking clearly, enjoying relationships, coping with stress, and working productively. Given the participants’ history of persecution—many have exposed corruption or reported on sensitive issues—a major focus was Post-Traumatic Stress (PTSD) . A short stress test revealed nearly every participant had undergone significant stress.

Building on the foundation of understanding trauma, the workshop then moved into practical tools for daily emotional resilience. It covered mindfulness and general stress management techniques, including how to avoid unnecessary stress and how to say “no.” One powerful exercise focused on forgiveness. Participants clenched their fists, squeezing harder based on the gravity of their offense, then released when uncomfortable. Most could not hold the tension for three minutes. Dr. Appiah-Danquah added that forgiveness benefits not the other person, but yourself.

From there, discussions on relationships and boundaries incorporated Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The group also tackled stereotyping and the Cycle of Violence—honeymoon, tension, explosion, love/hope, and fear/hope—providing a framework to recognize toxic patterns.