Page 118 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 15

Mark Toh (Singapore)
Comment to

“Attachment Style and
the Acculturation Mark Toh,

Process of Consultant
Cross-Cultural C linic a l
Psycholo-

Workers“ gist, Ph.D.
(Clinical
Psych), MA (Theo), BA (Hons) Psych
Mark has extensive experience in
treating troubled children and their
I can only note that while I appreciated Laurie‘s families, as well as personality disor-
review of the attachment literature and how it ders.
could apply within the acculturation process, He has worked in a variety of clinical
in the end when missionaries show up as ca- settings such as psychiatric hospitals,
sualties, we have to treat them as needed. Tho- mental health clinics, day-treatment
se who were blessed with secure attachment centres, and specialised clinics. Dr
have probably more tools to recover faster with. Mark Toh has lectured at the Singa-
They can also be a resource if they are married pore Bible College, and also consults
or have children. But each person has a break- at the Ministry of Family and Social
down point. Sometimes the ability to cope is li- Development (MSF).
mited by the circumstances they are in where
they have little control, eg. where service hap-
pens in a war zone like a former cross-cultural
worker I helped who served in Afghanistan du-
ring the war & in refugee camps.
Similarly, those coming from secure attach-
ment (a benefit offered by emotionally healthier
parents) have a preventative resource. It could
be useful to know what circumstances limit
their usefulness. There are a myriad of difficul-
ties missionaries can face on the field, eg. the
suicide of a MK, that may go beyond conven-
tional coping. It would be useful to identify the
list of circumstances that healthy or unhealthy
missionaries are vulnerable to. This would fa-
cilitate resiliency training for all missionaries
regardless of their backgrounds.

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