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Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2023) CC

KEY MESSAGES Always talk to a GBV specialist first to understand what GBV services are available in your area. Some services may take the form of hotlines, a mobile app or other remote support. Be aware of any other available services in your area. Identify services provided by humanitarian pa...rtners such as health, psychosocial support, shelter and non-food items. Consider services provided by communities such as mosques/ churches, women’s groups and Disability Service Organizations. Remember your role. Provide a listening ear, free of judgment. Provide accurate, up-to-date information on available services. Let the survivor make their own choices. Know what you can and cannot manage. Even without a GBV actor in your area, there may be other partners, such as a child protection or mental health specialist, who can support survivors that require additional attention and support. Ask the survivor for permission before connecting them to anyone else. Do not force the survivor if s/he says no. Do not proactively identify or seek out GBV survivors. Be available in case someone asks for support. Remember your mandate. All humanitarian practitioners are mandated to provide non-judgmental and non-discriminatory support to people in need regardless of: gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability status, age, ethnicity/tribe/race/religion, who perpetrated/committed violence, and the situation in which violence was committed. Use a survivor-centered approach by practicing: Respect: all actions you take are guided by respect for the survivor’s choices, wishes, rights and dignity. Safety: the safety of the survivor is the number one priority. Confidentiality: people have the right to choose to whom they will or will not tell their story. Maintaining confidentiality means not sharing any information to anyone. Non-discrimination: providing equal and fair treatment to anyone in need of support. If health services exist, always provide information on what is available. Share what you know, and most importantly explain what you do not. Let the survivor decide if s/he wants to access them. Receiving quality medical care within 72 hours can prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and within 120 hours can prevent unwanted pregnancy. Provide the opportunity for people with disabilities to communicate to you without the presence of their caregiver, if wished and does not endanger or create tension in that relationship. If a man or boy is raped it does not mean he is gay or bisexual. Gender-based violence is based on power, not someone’s sexuality. Sexual and gender minorities are often at increased risk of harm and violence due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Actively listen and seek to support all survivors. Anyone can commit an act of gender-based violence including a spouse, intimate partner, family member, caregiver, in-law, stranger, parent or someone who is exchanging money or goods for a sexual act. Anyone can be a survivor of gender-based violence – this includes, but isn’t limited to, people who are married, elderly individuals or people who engage in sex work. Protect the identity and safety of a survivor. Do not write down, take pictures or verbally share any personal/identifying information about a survivor or their experience, including with your supervisor. Put phones and computers away to avoid concern that a survivor’s voice is being recorded. Personal/identifying information includes the survivor’s name, perpetrator(s) name, date of birth, registration number, home address, work address, location where their children go to school, the exact time and place the incident took place etc. Share general, non-identifying information To your team or sector partners in an effort to make your program safer. To your support network when seeking self-care and encouragement. more

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Invisible Wounds. The impact of six years of war on the mental health of Syria’s children

Save the Children (2017) C1

“The children are psychologically crushed and tired. When we do activities like singing with them, they don’t respond at all. They don’t laugh like they would normally. They draw images of children being butchered in the war, or tanks, or the siege and the lack of food.” Teacher in the... more

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Problem Management Plus (PM+). Kenyan Field Trial Version

World Health Organization WHO; mHGAP (2016) C1

PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP FOR ADULTS IN COMMUNITIES EXPOSED TO ADVERSITY

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Group Problem Managment Plus(GROUP PM+)

World Health Organization WHO (2020) C_WHO

Group psychological help for adults impaired by distress in communities exposed to adversity With this manual, the World Health Organization (WHO) is responding to requests from colleagues around the world for a group version of the manual Problem Management Plus (PM+), which was developed for adul... more

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Problem Management Plus (PM+)
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2016) C_WHO

Individual psychological help for adults impaired by distress in communities exposed to adversity. The manual describes a scalable psychological intervention called Problem Management Plus (PM+) for adults impaired by distress in communities who are exposed to adversity. Aspects of Cognitive Behavi... more

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Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan COVID-19 Addendum

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA (2020) C1

Sudan recorded the first COVID-19 case on 13 March 2020 and, at the beginning of July, the Federal Ministry of Health had confirmed that nearly 10,000 people had contracted the virus, including over 600 who died from the disease across the country. Although more than 70 per cent of the confirmed cas... more

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mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG): Clinical management of mental, neurological and substance use conditions in humanitarian emergencies
recommended

World Health Organization, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2015) C_WHO

The new guide provides practical, first-line management recommendations for mental, neurological and substance use conditions. Contents include modules on assessing and managing conditions such as acute stress, grief, moderate-severe depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, and... more

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Who is where, when, doing what (4Ws) in mental health and psychosocial support : manual with activity codes
recommended

Inter-Agency Standing Committee IASC (2012) C2

Humanitarian actors in emergencies often encounter challenges in knowing Who is Where, When, doing What (4Ws) with regard to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). Such knowledge is essential to inform coordination. 4Ws tools are used in many areas of aid to map activities conducted across ... more

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Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) Population Movement Operation (OMO) Cox´s Bazar

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society UNHR (2019) C1

JOINT RESPONSE PLAN (JRP) The Strategic Executive Group has developed a Joint Response Plan (JRP) for 2019 regarding the displaced people from Myanmar and who are affected specially by this influx The JRP has included different issues in terms of measuring people who are in need, of support interve... more

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Guidelines For The Management Of Conditions Specifically Related To Stress

World Health Organization WHO (2013) C_WHO

Objectives and scope of the document This document was developed to provide recommended management strategies for problems and disorders that are specifically related to the occurrence of a major stressful event. The recommended strategies will form the basis of a new module to be added to the WHO ... more

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Strengthening mental health responses to COVID-19 in the Americas: A health policy analysis and recommendations

A. Tausch; Oliveira e Souza, R.; Martinez Viciana, C.; et al. Pan American Health Organization (2021) CC

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on the mental health of populations in the Americas. Studies show high rates of depression and anxiety, among other psychological symptoms, particularly among women, young people, those with pre-existing mental health conditions, health workers, and p... more

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IASC Guidance: Operational considerations for Multisectoral Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programmes during the COVID-19 Pandemic
recommended

Inter-Agency Standing Comittee IASC; et al. (2020) C2

In March 2020 the IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support uniting 57 humanitarian organizations as member issued the Interim Briefing Note Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak. This document has proven to be very useful in the response and has... more

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Information Note: Disability and Inclusion in MHPSS - IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (January 2024)

Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2024) C1

This document contains guidance for strengthening the disability inclusiveness of MHPSS responses and programmes in emergency settings. It is intended to supplement the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (2007). Overall Objective To consider and add... more

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Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies: What Should Humanitarian Health Actors Know?
recommended

IASC Reference Group for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2010) C1

This document is for humanitarian health actors working at national and sub-national level in countries facing humanitarian emergencies. It applies to Health Cluster partners, including governmental and non-governmental health service providers. Based on the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psy... more

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Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, Migrants & COVID-19
recommended

Rupp, N.; K. Geffert und S. Mauder MEDBOX (2020) CC

MEDBOX Issue Brief No. 4

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Training Guide: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2024) CC

This MHPSS in Emergencies training aims to prepare MHPSS responders, disaster managers, and emergency team leaders for work in the field by building understanding of basic concepts of MHPSS in emergencies as well as planning and implementing PSS activities. It is for MHPSS focal points from the Red ... more

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Toolkit for the Integration of Mental Health into General Healthcare in Humanitarian Settings

International Medical Corps (2019) C1

This Toolkit aims to support the understanding and implementation of integrated mental health programs in humanitarian settings. It provides a framework for essential steps and components, with associated key guidance and resources, that strengthen the integration process, and is primarily intended ... more

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Assessing Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs and Resources Toolkit For Humanitarian Settings
recommended

World Health Organization; UNHCR (2012) C_WHO

Available in different languages: English, French, Arabic, Russian

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Psychosocial Support Component Delegate Manual

Nana Wiedemann, Birgitte Sloth Yigen, Sara Johansson, et al. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (2012) C2

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Europe region: Ukraine and impacted countries - Emergency appeal n° MGR65002, Operation update 01/04/2022

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2022) C1

Operation update 01/04/2022

Problem Management Plus (PM+) recommended

mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG): Clinical management of mental, neurological and substance use conditions in humanitarian emergencies recommended

Who is where, when, doing what (4Ws) in mental health and psychosocial support : manual with activity codes recommended

IASC Guidance: Operational considerations for Multisectoral Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programmes during the COVID-19 Pandemic recommended

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies: What Should Humanitarian Health Actors Know? recommended

Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, Migrants & COVID-19 recommended

Assessing Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs and Resources Toolkit For Humanitarian Settings recommended