De ggz en psychosociale hulp bij rampen en crises

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An attitude of helplessness : basic counselling in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered armed conflict for over 20 years, with the eastern provinces being particularly impacted by destruction and structural violence. The consequences of this ongoing violence are visible on the streets and in the homes of the people, as well as specifically affecting the minds of the country's youth. This personal reflection highlights the work of a psychologist at a vocational training centre in Bukavu.

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Bridging the gap in mental health and psychosocial services in low resource settings : a case study in Sudan

Sudan has endured the longest civil war in Africa, with ongoing conflict since 1983. As a result, it has one of the largest internally displaced populations on the continent. The gap in care for mental health in Sudan is large, therefore, most of the people affected do not have access to the treatment they need (World Helath Organization, 2009). Mental health facilities in current day Sudan are few and concentrated in urban centres, where they are difficult to access and lack adequately trained professionals who are, in particular, lacking training for trauma related disorders.

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Integrating mental health care into primary care : the case of one rural district in Rwanda

Integration of mental health care into primary care is a strategic priority of Rwanda's national mental health care programme and a central tenet of global mental health. In 2009, the international health care delivery organisation, Partners In Health, established a community based mental health programme to support national planning goals.

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Dance/Movement therapy and resilience building with female asylum seekers and refugees : a phenomenological practice based research

This phenomenological study aims to better understand the applicability of Dance/Movement therapy for traumatised women asylum seekers and refugees. It explores if and how bodily engagement could support an existing resilience based treatment model employed at a centre for transcultural psychiatry in the Netherlands. The sessions focused on moving the body and included the use of music, props, mirroring techniques, body awareness and movement exploration exercises. Participation in the sessions was associated with self-reported alleviation of stress and addressed vulnerabilities.

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Objectification and abjectification of migrants : reflections to help guide psychosocial workers

This is a personal reflection concerning the migration crisis in Europe and its political repercussions on migration policies around the globe. Instead of the usual focus on analyses of needs, this article examines a variety of philosophical categories, such as objectification, abjectification as well as political paradigms, including the risk management approach to governance.

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Child maltreatment, revictimization and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among adults in a community sample

Background/Objective: Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been associated with revictimization and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, this relation is hardly examined in South European countries, and in community samples. We tested these associations in a convenience sample of 1,200 Portuguese adults in the community. Method: Data were collected using self-report questionnaires, the Post Traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF).

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Development and Evaluation of a Diversity-Oriented Competence Training for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders.

Studies in Europe indicate that some ethnic minorities have higher rates of mental disorders and less favorable treatment outcomes than their counterparts from majority groups. To date, efforts regarding training to reduce disparities have mainly focused on ethnocultural competences of therapists, with less attention paid to other aspects of diversity, such as sex/gender and socioeconomic status.

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The assessment of psychopathology among traumatized refugees : measurement invariance of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 across five linguistic groups

Background: Questionnaires are widely used to assess the mental health status of refugees, whereas their construct validity largely remains unexplored.

Objective: This study examined the construct validity of two widely-used instruments for the assessment of PTSD symptoms (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire [HTQ]; 16 items) and symptoms of anxiety and depression (Hopkins Symptom Check list-25 [HSCL-25]; 25 items) among Dutch and refugee patients with different linguistic backgrounds.

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A multilayered psychosocial resilience framework and its implications for community-focused crisis management

The focus of this contribution is on the psychosocial well-being, health, and functioning of communities in the context of major crises. A multilayered psychosocial resilience framework is described, conceptualizing and connecting capacities at individual, community, and society levels. Effective crisis management is strengthening and utilizing these capacities. The community as a resilient, functioning social system depends, almost by definition, on collaboration among government, business, and civil society.

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