A Preliminary Framework for Understanding Suicide Risk in LGBTQ Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) individuals continue to experience pervasive violence and victimisation, which has been associated with a host of negative mental health problems, including suicide. However, there is a gap in knowledge about LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers, an especially vulnerable subgroup of both the LGBTQ and refugee/asylum seeker population.

Read more

Training Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in the Problem Management Plus Programme in Turkey

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, the impact on the local population has rapidly increased, with severe consequent displacement to neighbouring countries (such as Turkey), material losses and psychological damage due to witnessing death, torture, physical and psychological abuse or surviving it, including high levels of gender-based violence.

 

Read more

Supporting and Sustaining Nonspecialists to Deliver Mental Health Interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries : An Umbrella Review

This umbrella review used a systematic approach to examine the state of the evidence regarding the nonspecialist health worker (NSHW) workforce in mental health and psychosocial services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Seventeen review articles were included in this analysis. Most reviews defined nonspecialists by their lack of formal mental health experience. Less than half of the reviews reported their qualifications and roles. Findings indicated that NSHWs were trained and supervised in a range of skills with variability in approaches, duration, format and topical focus.

Read more

Development of a Tool to Assess Competencies of Problem Management Plus Facilitators Using Observed Standardised Role Plays : The EQUIP Competency Rating Scale for Problem Management Plus

Problem Management Plus (PM+) is used to address mental health needs in humanitarian emergencies, including in response to COVID19. Because PM+ is designed for non-specialist facilitators, one challenge is ensuring that trainees have the necessary competencies to effectively deliver the intervention and not cause unintended harm. Traditional approaches to evaluating knowledge of an intervention, such as written tests, may not capture the ability to demonstrate PM+ skills.

Read more

A Field Report on the Pilot Implementation of Problem Management Plus with Lay Providers in an Eritrean Refugee Setting in Ethiopia

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.

 

Read more

Problem Management Plus Adapted for Group Use to Improve Mental Health in a War-Affected Population in the Central African Republic

A large number of the population in the Central African Republic has been exposed to potentially traumatic events as a result of the last conflict, which has led to the breakdown of social ties. In response to this situation, the nongovernmental organisation, Action contre la Faim, proposed a multisectoral project aimed at helping internally displaced persons to find an income-generating activity and offer psychosocial support through the adaptation of the Problem Management Plus protocol.

Read more

After the Randomised Controlled Trial: Implementing Problem Management Plus Through Humanitarian Agencies : Three Case Studies from Ethiopia, Syria and Honduras

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+.

 

Read more

Living Six Hours Away from Mental Health Specialists : Enabling Access to Psychosocial Mental Health Services Through the Implementation of Problem Management Plus Delivered by Community Health Workers in Rural Chiapas, Mexico

Living with a mental health condition in rural Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico, where adversity, poverty and health in accessibility prevail, make it challenging to reach for mental health services since they are mostly centralised in urban settings, understaffed and underfunded. The Mexican sister organisation of the international non-profit, Partners In Health, has served in marginalised communities in collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Health and has provided mental health services since 2014.

 

Read more

Task-Sharing Psychosocial Support with Refugees and Asylum Seekers : Reflections and Recommendations for Practice from the PROSPER Study

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.

 

Read more

Adapting Problem Management Plus for Implementation : Lessons Learned from Public Sector Settings Across Rwanda, Peru, Mexico and Malawi

Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a low-intensity psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization that can be delivered by nonspecialists to address common mental health conditions in people affected by adversity. Emerging evidence demonstrates the efficacy of PM+ across a range of settings.

 

Read more

Pages