New Course Equips Learners for Mental Health Support in Humanitarian Emergencies on World Mental Health Day

New Course Equips Learners for Mental Health Support in Humanitarian Emergencies on World Mental Health Day

(IN BRIEF) Launched on World Mental Health Day, this 10-week blended course, developed in collaboration with the IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support, aims to provide essential skills for individuals involved in the development, management, and monitoring of mental health and psychosocial support programs in humanitarian crises. Led by Dr. Frédérique Vallières, Associate Professor of Psychology, and Sarah Harrison, Head of the MHPSS Technical Unit, the course offers insights into key mental health and psychosocial support interventions, tools, and resources for various age groups and communities. It emphasizes customization of interventions to suit specific contexts while leveraging local capacities and resources. Open to a wide range of participants, including researchers, humanitarian workers, and professionals, the course underscores the importance of collaboration between practitioners and academics in training the next generation of mental health and psychosocial support practitioners for humanitarian emergencies.

(PRESS RELEASE) DUBLIN, 11-Oct-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Launching on World Mental Health Day, the course aims to equip learners with critical skills for the development, management, and monitoring of mental health and psychosocial support programming in humanitarian emergencies. World Mental Health Day is held by the WHO on the 10th October each year. It aims to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.

Created in partnership with the IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (the PS Centre), the 10-week blended course is led by Dr. Frédérique Vallières, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Trinity Centre of Global Health and Sarah Harrison, Head of the MHPSS Technical Unit (PS Centre).

Participants will learn key mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions and understand current tools available to support individuals across their lifespans, families, and communities. The course will focus on tailoring interventions to individual contexts while building on local capacities, coping methods and resources.

Commenting on the course, Dr Frédérique Vallières said “this micro-credential embodies the importance of practitioners and academics coming together to train the next generation of mental health and psychosocial support practitioners working in humanitarian emergencies.”

“The Psychosocial Reference Centre of the International Federation of the Red Cross, Red Crescent Societies is delighted to be partnering with our long-time collaborators in the Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, on this important course,” added Sarah Harrison.

“Open to researchers, humanitarian aid workers, volunteers, professionals, or anyone with a keen interest in international development, this short course is specifically designed to teach critical skills for the development and management,” said Dr Meg Ryan, Assistant Professor in Global Health at Trinity and Director of the MSc in Global Mental Health.

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SOURCE: Trinity College Dublin