Training workshops for psychosocial workers and mental health staff: what organisers of capacity building projects need to know before hiring a trainer

When invited to facilitate a training course for psychosocial workers and/or mental health staff, I am sometimes confronted with unrealistic expectations: the person commissioning a training expects a detailed programme that describes exactly what subject matter will be covered, and precisely when. In other cases, I am requested to design a programme that connects to an earlier training, facilitated by another expert in the mental health and psychosocial support field. Here, I sum up what, in my opinion, should be included in a report of a workshop for mental health and psychosocial support workers, what organisers of capacity building projects need to know about training psychosocial workers and mental health staff, and what should be asked of a trainer they intend to hire.