Welcome to the 21st WCP Virtual Congress Program Scheduling

Humanitarian crises are a major global health challenge and can have profound repercussions on an affected population’s mental health (MH) and psychological well-being. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programs are a vital part of any humanitarian intervention to support the needs of these populations. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has wide experience implementing MHPSS programs in humanitarian crises, has faced a myriad of challenges, and has developed diverse ways to overcome them. Consequently, MHPSS programs take different shapes from one humanitarian setting to another. We would like to share the experience of providing MHPSS support to several populations living in adversity: (1) in refugee camps in Tanzania, (2) community mental health services in Liberia, and (3) in the Colombian context, both during and after periods of armed conflict. The most common method used in these (often resource constrained) settings is the integration of MH care within general health services, using a task-shifting model in which non-specialist healthcare workers are upskilled in their mental health care competencies (for instance, by training lay practitioners to provide counseling, or training general clinicians to diagnose and treat mental disorders). Supportive supervision by MH specialists is also a key component of the approach. Whenever possible, MSF ensures that MHPSS services remain available at multiple intervention levels, both in the community and in health facilities, and that individuals in need can access comprehensive care of optimal quality. The type of MHPSS program implemented depends on the needs identified in a specific context and the resources available.