scholarly journals Developing the Group Facilitation Assessment of Competencies Tool for Group-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Interventions in Humanitarian and Low-Resource Settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 334
Author(s):  
Gloria A. Pedersen ◽  
Manaswi Sangraula ◽  
Pragya Shrestha ◽  
Pooja Lakshmin ◽  
Alison Schafer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Group Facilitation ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Assessment Of Competencies

In humanitarian settings, mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) are often delivered in group-based formats. Group interventions enable providers to reach more individuals when resources and technical expertise are limited. Group-based programs also foster social support, empathy, and collective problem-solving among the participants. To remedy the current lack of tools available to assess the group facilitation competencies of individuals delivering group-based MHPSS, we made it our objective to develop such a tool. Our approach, which focused on adults, complimented a similar initiative underway for children and adolescents. We reviewed MHPSS manuals to identify key group facilitation competencies, which include developing and reviewing group ground rules, facilitating participation among all group members, fostering empathy between members, encouraging collaborative problem-solving, addressing barriers to attendance, time management, and ensuring group confidentiality. We then developed the Group Facilitation Assessment of Competencies (GroupACT) Tool. The GroupACT is a structured observational tool for assessing these competencies during standardized role-plays with actor clients, or in vivo during the delivery of group sessions with actual clients. We conclude this article with guidance for using the GroupACT to assess facilitators' competencies in providing group-based MHPSS in the health, education, protection, and other sectors in humanitarian settings.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Crisis and Conflict: Report of the Mental Health Working Group

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S2) ◽  
pp. s217-s227 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Allden ◽  
L. Jones ◽  
I. Weissbecker ◽  
M. Wessells ◽  
P. Bolton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
Group Members

AbstractIntroduction:The Working Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support was convened as part of the 2009 Harvard Humanitarian Action Summit. The Working Group chose to focus on ethical issues in mental health and psychosocial research and programming in humanitarian settings. The Working Group built on previous work and recommendations, such as theInter-Agency Standing Committee's Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings.Objectives:The objective of this working group was to address one of the factors contributing to the deficiency of research and the need to develop the evidence base on mental health and psychosocial support interventions during complex emergencies by proposing ethical research guidelines. Outcomes research is vital for effective program development in emergency settings, but to date, no comprehensive ethical guidelines exist for guiding such research efforts.Methods:Working Group members conducted literature reviews which included peer-reviewed publications, agency reports, and relevant guidelines on the following topics: general ethical principles in research, cross-cultural issues, research in resource-poor countries, and specific populations such as trauma and torture survivors, refugees, minorities, children and youth, and the mentally ill. Working Group members also shared key points regarding ethical issues encountered in their own research and fieldwork.Results:The group adapted a broad definition of the term “research”, which encompasses needs assessments and data gathering, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The guidelines are conceptualized as applying to formal and informal processes of assessment and evaluation in which researchers as well as most service providers engage. The group reached consensus that it would be unethical not to conduct research and evaluate outcomes of mental health and psychosocial interventions in emergency settings, given that there currently is very little good evidence base for such interventions. Overarching themes and issues generated by the group for further study and articulation included: purpose and benefits of research, issues of validity, neutrality, risk, subject selection and participation, confidentiality, consent, and dissemination of results.Conclusions:The group outlined several key topics and recommendations that address ethical issues in conducting mental health and psychosocial research in humanitarian settings. The group views this set of recommendations as a living document to be further developed and refined based on input from colleagues representing different regions of the globe with an emphasis on input from colleagues from low-resource countries.

scholarly journals Research Priorities for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e1001096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse A. Tol ◽  
Vikram Patel ◽  
Mark Tomlinson ◽  
Florence Baingana ◽  
Ananda Galappatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Humanitarian Settings

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings

2020 ◽  
pp. 373-388
Author(s):  
Inka Weissbecker ◽  
Peter Ventevogel ◽  
Fahmy Hanna ◽  
Soumitra Pathare
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Humanitarian Settings

scholarly journals Improving mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in humanitarian settings: reflections on research funded through R2HC

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse A. Tol ◽  
Alastair Ager ◽  
Cecile Bizouerne ◽  
Richard Bryant ◽  
Rabih El Chammay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Major knowledge gaps remain concerning the most effective ways to address mental health and psychosocial needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises. The Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis (R2HC) program aims to strengthen humanitarian health practice and policy through research. As a significant portion of R2HC’s research has focused on mental health and psychosocial support interventions, the program has been interested in strengthening a community of practice in this field. Following a meeting between grantees, we set out to provide an overview of the R2HC portfolio, and draw lessons learned. In this paper, we discuss the mental health and psychosocial support-focused research projects funded by R2HC; review the implications of initial findings from this research portfolio; and highlight four remaining knowledge gaps in this field. Between 2014 and 2019, R2HC funded 18 academic-practitioner partnerships focused on mental health and psychosocial support, comprising 38% of the overall portfolio (18 of 48 projects) at a value of approximately 7.2 million GBP. All projects have focused on evaluating the impact of interventions. In line with consensus-based recommendations to consider a wide range of mental health and psychosocial needs in humanitarian settings, research projects have evaluated diverse interventions. Findings so far have both challenged and confirmed widely-held assumptions about the effectiveness of mental health and psychosocial interventions in humanitarian settings. They point to the importance of building effective, sustained, and diverse partnerships between scholars, humanitarian practitioners, and funders, to ensure long-term program improvements and appropriate evidence-informed decision making. Further research needs to fill knowledge gaps regarding how to: scale-up interventions that have been found to be effective (e.g., questions related to integration across sectors, adaptation of interventions across different contexts, and optimal care systems); address neglected mental health conditions and populations (e.g., elderly, people with disabilities, sexual minorities, people with severe, pre-existing mental disorders); build on available local resources and supports (e.g., how to build on traditional, religious healing and community-wide social support practices); and ensure equity, quality, fidelity, and sustainability for interventions in real-world contexts (e.g., answering questions about how interventions from controlled studies can be transferred to more representative humanitarian contexts).

scholarly journals Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: linking practice and research

The Lancet ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 378 (9802) ◽  
pp. 1581-1591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse A Tol ◽  
Corrado Barbui ◽  
Ananda Galappatti ◽  
Derrick Silove ◽  
Theresa S Betancourt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Humanitarian Settings

Transitioning Mental Health & Psychosocial Support: From Short-Term Emergency to Sustainable Post-Disaster Development. Humanitarian Action Summit 2011

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 470-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.P. Patel ◽  
J. Russell ◽  
K. Allden ◽  
T.S. Betancourt ◽  
P. Bolton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Development Phase ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Psychosocial Programs

AbstractIntroduction: The Working Group (WG) on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support participated in its second Humanitarian Action Summit in 2011. This year, the WG chose to focus on a new goal: reviewing practice related to transitioning mental health and psychosocial support programs from the emergency phase to long-term development. The Working Group's findings draw on a review of relevant literature as well as case examples.Objectives: The objective of the Working Group was to identify factors that promote or hinder the long term sustainability of emergency mental health and psychosocial interventions in crisis and conflict, and to provide recommendations for transitioning such programs from relief to development.Methods: The Working Group (WG) conducted a review of relevant literature and collected case examples based on experiences and observations of working group members in implementing mental and psychosocial programming in the field. The WG focused on reviewing literature on mental health and psychosocial programs and interventions that were established in conflict, disaster, protracted crisis settings, or transition from acute phase to development phase. The WG utilized case examples from programs in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Sierra Leone, Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, and New Orleans (United States).Results: The WG identified five key thematic areas that should be addressed in order to successfully transition lasting and effective mental health and psychosocial programs from emergency settings to the development phase. The five areas identified were as follows: Government and Policy, Human Resources and Training, Programming and Services, Research and Monitoring, and Finance.Conclusions: The group identified several recommendations for each thematic area, which were generated from key lessons learned by working group members through implementing mental health and psychosocial support programs in a variety of settings, some successfully sustained and some that were not.

Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings

Intervention ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Meyer ◽  
Mary-Beth Morand
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Humanitarian Settings

scholarly journals Tutor of Resilience: A Model for Psychosocial Care Following Experiences of Adversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Giordano ◽  
Alessandra Cipolla ◽  
Michael Ungar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Psychosocial Care ◽  
Phase Model ◽  
Culturally Specific ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
Training Service

This article describes a model for training service providers to provide interventions that build resilience among individuals who have experienced adversity. The Tutor of Resilience model emphasizes two distinct dimensions to training: (1) transforming service providers' perceptions of intervention beneficiaries by highlighting their strengths and capacity for healing; and (2) flexibly building contextually and culturally specific interventions through a five-phase model of program development and implementation. Tutor of Resilience has been employed successfully with child and youth populations under stress in humanitarian settings where mental health and psychosocial support professionals are required to design and deliver interventions that enhance resilience among vulnerable children.

scholarly journals The pivotal role of monitoring for collaborative problem solving seen in interaction, performance, and interpersonal physiology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eetu Haataja ◽  
Jonna Malmberg ◽  
Muhterem Dindar ◽  
Sanna Järvelä
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
Collaborative Task ◽  
Collaborative Problem ◽  
Group Members

AbstractBeing aware of the progress towards one’s goals is considered one of the main characteristics of the self-regulation process. This is also the case for collaborative problem solving, which invites group members to metacognitively monitor the progress with their goals and externalize it in social interactions while solving a problem. Monitoring challenges can activate group members to control the situation together, which can be seen as adjustments on different systemic levels (physiological, psychological, and interpersonal) of a collaborative group. This study examines how the pivotal role of monitoring for collaborative problem solving is reflected in interactions, performance, and interpersonal physiology. The study has foci in two central characteristics of monitoring interactions that facilitate groups’ regulation in reaching their goals. First is valence of monitoring, indicating whether the group members think they are progressing towards their goal or not. Second is equality of participation in monitoring interactions between group members. Participants of the study were volunteering higher education students (N = 57), randomly assigned to groups of three members whose collaborative task was to learn to run a business simulation. The collaborative task was video recorded, and the physiological arousal of each participant was recorded from their electrodermal activity. The results of the study suggest that both the valence and equality of participation are identifiable in monitoring interactions and they both positively predict groups’ performance in the task. Equality of participation to monitoring was not related to the interpersonal physiology. However, valence of monitoring was related to interpersonal physiology in terms of physiological synchrony and arousal. The findings support the view that characteristics of monitoring interactions make a difference to task performance in collaborative problem solving and that interpersonal physiology relates to these characteristics.

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