We conducted a pilot to train paraprofessional helpers to deliver Problem Management Plus (PM+) in refugee camps with Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia. This field report presents reflections from trainers, supervisors and participants. We offer lessons learned from material translation and adaptation, including strategies for training on PM+ with low-literacy populations. The training covered foundational helping skills and the PM+ intervention. We share lessons from the training process, highlighting the importance of role plays and considerations for trainee selection.

Problem Management Plus (PM+) is an evidence-based intervention developed for adults impaired by distress in communities exposed to adversity. After being tested and released by the World Health Organization, a capacity building project was launched to increase the uptake of the intervention within humanitarian settings. Humanitarian organisations were trained and supported through supervision to implement individual PM+.

To address the unmet need for accessible mental health services for refugees and asylum seekers in high-income countries, the PROSPER study is testing implementation of the World Health Organization Problem Management Plus (PM+) intervention. Incorporating tasksharing strategies, the intervention is delivered by Peer Lay Therapists with lived experience of seeking asylum or migration. The PM+ training adopts a cascade apprenticeship model, where Master Trainers train and supervise Wellbeing Mentors; who subsequently train and supervise the Peer Lay Therapists.

Given the increasing use of low-intensity psychological interventions in humanitarian mental health and psychosocial support work, more attention is needed to strengthen the intersection between evidence-based interventions and cultural contextualisation. Undertaking the process of cultural adaptation ensures the appropriateness and acceptability of psychological interventions in these contexts.