Mental Health & Psychosocial Support

The largest early childhood development initiative in humanitarian history, combining localized Arabic 'Sesame Street' content with direct services including preschool, parenting sessions, and home visits. Features Muppet characters designed to help refugee children process trauma and develop social-emotional skills.

UNRWA's mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) program addresses trauma among Palestine refugee children in Gaza through counseling, recreational activities, and the innovative After School Activities (ASA) project. Counselors provide psychological first aid, guidance to parents, and individual counseling focusing on creating a sense of safety. Children engage in expressive activities like drawing, storytelling, relaxation exercises, music, arts, and sports. The "Back to Learning" program provides refuge from conflict through psychosocial activities and gradual reintroduction to formal education. The Community Mental Health Programme has reached 91,000+ parents and 100,000+ children. About 25% of Gaza children require psychological support.

IOMs Community Stabilization Programme in Iraq addresses post-ISIS conflict through an integrated approach combining social cohesion, mental health (MHPSS), livelihoods, and protection services. Since 2006, IOM has supported Iraqi communities through the Community Revitalization Programme. Key activities include: community centers for IDP-returnee-host interaction, dialogue groups, non-competitive sports, mediation training, and memorialization/storytelling. MHPSS services include psychiatric consultations, support groups, relaxation workshops, psychological first aid, and suicide prevention awareness. IOM collaborated with Government of Iraq on national suicide prevention strategy. Livelihood support includes vocational training and income generation grants. Protection services address GBV, trafficking, and housing/land/property documentation.

Musicians Without Borders (MWB) founded in 1999 uses music for peacebuilding in conflict-affected regions globally. Programs include: Mitrovica Rock School (Kosovo, since 2008) creating ethnically mixed bands; Palestine Community Music with Rap for Social Change and music for hearing-impaired children; Rwanda Youth Music training 80+ Community Music Leaders to heal women/children affected by HIV from genocide; Music Bridge (Northern Ireland) for reconciliation; Welcome Notes (Europe) connecting refugees with host communities; and Soy Musica (El Salvador with UNICEF). The approach trains local musicians as community music leaders, emphasizing locally-owned long-term programs. MWB believes music can connect, heal, teach empathy, counteract violence, and transcend divisions.

The Friendship Bench is a community-based mental health program founded in 2006 by Dr. Dixon Chibanda. Trained community health workers (grandmothers or Ambuya Utano) deliver problem-solving talk therapy on wooden benches in community spaces. The program addresses kufungisisa (thinking too much) - local terms for depression/anxiety. After therapy, clients join Circle Kubatana Tose peer support groups that include income-generating activities like crocheting recycled materials. Results show 78% reduction in depression and suicidal ideation. Over 821,000 clients served by 2,773 trained community health workers.

StrongMinds provides free, community-based Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-G) for depression in Africa. Founded in 2013, the WHO-recommended model trains former clients and community health workers as facilitators. Over 1.3 million people treated in Uganda, Zambia, and Kenya. 80%+ remain depression-free 6 months post-therapy. The program shows ripple effects: 115% increase in economic activity, 29% increase in children not missing school, 85% of clients feeding children 3 meals daily. IPT-G addresses grief, life changes, conflict, and social isolation through 6-12 group sessions.

IOMs global Migration Health Programme ensures migrants access high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate health services while strengthening health systems. The programme takes a route-based approach, strategically planning interventions along migration corridors with local communities. In MENA region alone, IOM provides approximately 1 million consultations annually through health facilities and mobile clinics, conducts 34,000+ health promotion sessions, and supports immunization services. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) uses community-based, interdisciplinary approaches including psychosocial mobile teams. The programme addresses communicable diseases (TB, HIV), non-communicable diseases, and climate-related health risks. Aligned with Global Compact for Migration and SDG Goal 3.

BasicNeeds implements a comprehensive Mental Health and Development Model integrating health, socio-economic, and community solutions across 12 countries in Africa and Asia. The five-module approach includes: capacity building, community mental health services, livelihoods support, research, and collaboration. Over 650,000 people reached including those with mental illness, epilepsy, and caregivers. Results show 84% increase in treatment access, 75% symptom reduction, and work participation increasing from 52% to 80%. Self-help groups (622 active) provide peer support and economic activities.

The WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) launched in 2008 provides evidence-based guidelines enabling non-specialist health workers to deliver mental health care in low-resource settings. The mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) covers 8 priority conditions: depression, psychosis, epilepsy, dementia, alcohol/drug use disorders, suicide, and child mental disorders. Used in 90+ countries and translated into 20+ languages. The 2023 third edition includes 48 recommendations. Task-shifting to community health workers addresses the treatment gap where 75% of people in LMICs lack access to care.

Time to Change was the UKs largest mental health stigma reduction campaign (2007-2021), delivered by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness with 20+ million pounds in funding. The campaign used social marketing, direct contact with people with lived experience, and community events. Champions with mental health experience shared stories to drive change. Research showed 0.32 SD improvement in attitudes and significant reduction in desire for social distance. Phase 3 targeted mens mental health with Ask Twice messaging. Time to Change Global extended the model to Ghana, Kenya, and other LMICs.