Mental Health in Complex Emergencies

Course Content at a Glance

This is a residential course consisting of two elements:

1. A six day intensive basic module that focuses on the specific contexts of conflict, post-conflict and disaster settings. This part of the course will provide a practical orientation to a variety of topics, including introducing the Interagency Guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings how to conduct rapid assessments, designing and setting up mental health services or psychosocial programmes (exploring the differences between them), clinical work and therapeutic approaches in non-western contexts, dealing with sexual and gender based violence, the issues of cultural validity and human rights, taking care of oneself and dealing with burnout. It will also introduce potential field workers to essentials such as personal security, and practical aspects of humanitarian work in the field. 

2. In the second week participants can choose from several optional modules that are currently in preparation. These modules will have a duration of 3 days and focus on some of the specific skills sets that are needed in these settings: training others, therapeutic skills in emergencies, and research methods around child focused psychosocial interventions.

Successful participants will receive a certificate.

Topics Covered in the Curriculum

1. Setting up mental health and psychosocial programmes in emergencies

a. Understanding the emergency context

b. Introducing the InterAgency Standing committee Guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support

2. Psychosocial considerations:

a. Education

b. Community support

c. Child protection

3. Understanding the Clinical issues

a. Grief, loss trauma

b. Substance /abuse

c. Severe mental Disorders

d. Maternal Depression and Early child Development

4. Setting up clinical programmes in emergency settings

a. Case examples from the field

5. Needs Assessments

6. Monitoring and Evaluation

7. Sexual and Gender based violence

8. Therapeutic work in a relief context

9. Taking care of ourselves

10. Critically examining humanitarianism

11. Security

Workshops:

12. Research skills

13. Training Skills

14. Interpersonal therapy in low resource settings