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Emerging Practices: Mental health and psychosocial support in refugee operations during the COVID-19 pandemic
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UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR (2020) C1

This document presents a brief overview of how UNHCR adapts its activities for mental health and psycho ... more

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Staff, Volunteers and Communities in an Outbreak of Novel Coronavirus

Psychosocial Centre International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2020) C1

Introduction The novel Coronavirus (nCoV) epidemic in 2019 -2020 has recently emerged. The route of transmission is not totally known, although it is known that it can spread from person to person, and local ... more

Mental Health and Psychosocial Response during COVID-19 Outbreak, June 2020

UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR (2020) C1

Key highlights from January to April 2020 (Syria situation) Across the MENA region, UNHCR is receiving alarming reports of increasing mental health issues among the forcibly displaced. Mental health ... more

IASC Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Minimum Service Package

Inter-Agency Standing Commitee (2022) C2

The MHPSS MSP is an easy-to-follow intersectoral package, which spells out the activities and actions that all humanitarian actors should put in place in all emergencies for an effective MHPSS respo ... more

Mental health and psychosocial support during COVID-19

World Health Organization WHO (2020) C_WHO

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are required to stay at home to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the disease, including young people. Children have been out of school and as a r ... more

Mental health and psychosocial support aspects of the COVID-19 response
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World Health Organization WHO, Regional Office for Western Pacific (2020) C_WHO

Across the Western Pacific Region COVID-19 is placing enormous strain on health and economic systems apart from direct threats to personal health s ... more

Ukrainian Prioritized Multisectoral Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Actions During and After the War: Operational Roadmap

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2022) C_WHO

The development of this Operational Roadmap has been driven by a growing consensus in Ukraine on the need to prioritize activities that are urgently required to address the mental health ... more

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 ... more

Technical Brief: Integrating mental health and psychosocial support into education in emergencies using the Minimum Service Package

UN Children's Fund UNICEF (2024) CC

The aim of the Technical Brief is to offer guidance to education professionals on how to integrate Mental Health and Psychosocial Support into Educ ... more

Challenges and Opportunities for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in the COVID-19 Response in Africa: A Mixed-Methods Study

Walker, A. et al. (2022) CC

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 9313. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159313. A mixed-methods study, using an online survey and in-depth interviews, was conducted. Participants include ... more

UNHCR’s mental health and psychosocial support

Meyer, S. UNHCR (2013) C2

A broad range of UNHCR’s key priorities overlap with MHPSS issues – for example, child protection and sexual and gender-based violence [SGBV] prevention ... more

Needs and barriers for mental health and psychosocial support among syrian refugees in lebanon: perspectives for future interventions

European Union Civil protection and Humanitarian Aid European Union Civil protection and Humanitarian Aid (2018) CC

Results Recommendations• NGOs should provide MHPSS services with a focus on empowerment and self-reliance • Introduce interventions focusing on pain mechanisms, coping strategies and physical ... more

Linking Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) - Practical tools, approaches and case studies

World Health Organization (WHO) and InterAgency Standing Committee (IASC), Save the Children, et al. (2021) C_WHO

Technical Note Recently, the approach to hazardous events has undergone a considerable shift, away from reactive activities focused on managing and responding to events ... more

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

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

Migration health: 2019 activities overview - Leave no migrant behind

International Organization for Migration IOM (2020) C1

Every year, nearly 250 million people move across borders temporarily or permanently for a job opportunity, studying, to flee a crisis back home, or for other reasons. Another 750 million move for similar reasons within the borders of their countries. With the understanding that human mobility affec ... more

Guidance Note on Youth Integration into the Women Friendly Health Spaces (WFHS)

United Nations Population Fund UNFPA (2023) CC

UNFPA has been implementing programming for women and girls through Women Friendly Health Spaces (WFHSs), which provide access to critical services, information ... more

Qualitative assessment of community health workers’ perspective on their motivation in community-based primary health care in rural Malawi

Ndambo, M.K.; Munyaneza, F.; Aron, M.B. et al. BMC Health Services Research (2022) CC

Background: Community Health Workers (CHWs) have a positive impact on the provision of community-based primary health care through screening, treatment, referral, ... psychosocial support, and accompaniment. With a broad scope of work, CHW programs must balance the breadth and depth of tasks to maintain CHW motivation for high-quality care delivery. Few studies have described the CHW perspective on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to enhance their programmatic activities. Methods: We utilized an exploratory qualitative study design with CHWs employed in the household model in Neno District, Malawi, to explore their perspectives on intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and dissatisfiers in their work. Data was collected in 8 focus group discussions with 90 CHWs in October 2018 and March–April 2019 in seven purposively selected catchment areas. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using Dedoose. Results: Themes of complex intrinsic and extrinsic factors were generated from the perspectives of the CHWs in the focus group discussions. Study results indicate that enabling factors are primarily intrinsic factors such as positive patient outcomes, community respect, and recognition by the formal health care system but can lead to the chal- lenge of increased scope and workload. Extrinsic factors can provide challenges, including an increased scope and workload from original expectations, lack of resources to utilize in their work, and rugged geography. However, a posi- tive work environment through supportive relationships between CHWs and supervisors enables the CHWs. Conclusion: This study demonstrated enabling factors and challenges for CHW performance from their perspec- tive within the dual-factor theory. We can mitigate challenges through focused efforts to limit geographical distance, manage workload, and strengthen CHW support to reinforce their recognition and trust. Such programmatic empha- sis can focus on enhancing motivational factors found in this study to improve the CHWs’ experience in their role. The engagement of CHWs, the communities, and the formal health care system is critical to improving the care provided to the patients and communities, along with building supportive systems to recognize the work done by CHWs for the primary health care systems. more

An analysis of the services provided by community health workers within an urban district in South Africa: a key contribution towards universal access to care

Thomas, L.S., E. Buch and Y. Pillay Human Resources for Health (2021) C1

Community health worker teams are potential game-changers in ensuring access to care in vulnerable communities. Who are they? What do they actually do? Can they help South Africa realize universal health ... more