من الاستجابة الإنسانية إلى التعافي المجتمعي: تجربة الهلال الأحمر العربي السوري في الدعم النفسي الاجتماعي والحماية

في هذه الحلقة، نتعرّف مع الدكتورة فايزة العبدالله من الهلال الأحمر العربي السوري على دور الدعم النفسي الاجتماعي والحماية في السياق السوري، وأهميتهما في حالات الطوارئ والأزمات الممتدة، ودورهما في تعافي الأفراد، وتعزيز التماسك الاجتماعي، والحماية وتمكين المجتمعات، بما يسهم في إعادة بناء الروابط الاجتماعية ودعم مسارات التعافي والسلام على المستوى المجتمعي.

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Crises, migration, and MHPSS: Coordination and the key role of the Niger Red Cross and its partners

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, the podcast of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement dedicated to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), we explore the context of crises and conflicts in Niger and their psychosocial impacts on affected communities, including displaced people, migrants, and refugees. The episode highlights the integration of MHPSS into the humanitarian response of the Niger Red Cross, its collaboration with partners, and its leading role in coordinating actors through the MHPSS Technical Working Group. Hosted by Ahlem Cheffi, this episode offers both a strategic and field-based perspective, underscoring that mental health and psychosocial well-being remain essential priorities in emergency settings.

Cet épisode a été enregistré au Burkina Faso lors de la formation régionale sur les soins de santé mentale communautaires (SSMC), organisée conjointement par le Centre du Mouvement de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge pour et la Croix-Rouge burkinabè pour la SMSPS, et basée sur les lignes directrices Community mhGAP de l’OMS.

La discussion aborde les soins de santé mentale communautaires comme une approche de renforcement des systèmes, ancrée dans la force collective des communautés, et positionnant celles-ci comme des acteurs clés de la prévention, de la réponse précoce et de l’accès aux soins. La conversation met en lumière le rôle essentiel des communautés dans la réduction de la stigmatisation liée à la santé mentale, le soutien au bien-être et le développement de réponses SMSPS durables, culturellement adaptées à travers l’Afrique.

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Community Mental Health in Africa: Strengthening communities and systems 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Ahlem Cheffi, MHPSS Hub Specialist, speaks with Dr. Fabrice Ouédraogo and Yahaya Diallo (Burkina Faso Red Cross) and Hema Lacina (Danish Red Cross).

This episode was recorded from Burkina Faso during the regional training on Community Mental Health Care (CMHC), jointly organized by the MHPSS Hub and the Burkina Faso Red Cross and based on the WHO Community mhGAP guidelines. 

The discussion frames community mental health care as a systems-strengthening approach, rooted in the collective strength of communities and positioning communities as key actors in prevention, early response, and access to care.

The conversation highlights the power of communities in reducing mental health stigma, supporting wellbeing, and advancing culturally grounded, sustainable MHPSS responses across Africa.

Khalida joined us for a training in Copenhagen under the Sport Coach+ initiative, implemented in a partnership between the MHPSS Hub and the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF). The initiative aims to create trauma informed and healing centered sports environments for young athletes between the ages of 10 and 24 with a focus on those with a background of displacement and adversities.

Khalida and the Girl Power team have vast experience and expertise in using sports as a tool for empowerment, inclusion and mental well-being with a focus on women from marginalized groups. We invited Khalida to share some of the insights and learnings from her work.  

• Read more about Girl Power: https://www.girlpowerorg.com/   
• Read more about Sport Coach+ : https://www.sportcoachplus.org/

In this sixth episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the MHPSS Hub, and Dan Amias, Senior Innovation Learning Adviser at Elrha, speaks with Mercy Githara, MHPSS Manager at the Kenya Red Cross Society, and Anne de Graaf, Technical Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO) about two chatbots: STARS, a non-AI chatbot developed by WHO, and Chat Care, an AI chatbot being deployed in Kenya by the Red Cross.

Key resources for practitioners:
Kenya Red Cross Society: Chat Care, AI Powered Mental Health Chatbot  

WHO: Doing What Matters in Times of Stress evidence based self-help guide 

WHO: STARS chatbot for more information contact psych_interventions@who.int 

Red Cross Digital MHPSS pledge: Leveraging and facilitating technology-empowered pathways  

MHPSS Hub resources on Suicide prevention:
Find infographics, videos, podcasts, guides and tools on suicide prevention

 Read more about the research:
STARS chatbot (non-AI): de Graaff A.M, et al. Evaluation of a Guided Chatbot Intervention for Young People in Jordan: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR Ment Health  

Keyan, D., et al.  The development of a World Health Organization transdiagnostic chatbot intervention for distressed adolescents and young adults. 

 Akhtar, A., et al. Scalable Technology for Adolescents and Youth to Reduce Stress in the Treatment of Common Mental Disorders in Jordan: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. 

Karim Chatbot: Madianou, M. Nonhuman humanitarianism: when “AI for good” can be harmful. Information, Communication & Society

Torous, J. et al. Assessing generative artificial intelligence for mental health, The Lancet.

Spencer SW, Masboungi C. Enabling access or automating empathy? Using chatbots to support GBV survivors in conflicts and humanitarian emergencies, International Review of the Red Cross. 

Developing digital MHPSS resources:
Reach out to the MHPSS Hub: mhpsshub@rodekors.dk or Elrha: info@elrha.org for collaboration on developing digital MHPSS approaches.

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis-Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field. 

“What matters to young people? Climate, jobs, and mental health.”

Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) is an evidence-based group intervention that helps 10–15-year-olds in adversity-affected communities manage stress, anxiety, and depression through skills training. It includes seven sessions for adolescents and three for caregivers, using adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques delivered by trained non-specialist helpers. 

In this fifth episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, speaks with Professor Mark Jordans (researcher at  King’s College London and Director of Research and Development at War Child), and Dr Zeinab Hijazi (Global Lead on Mental Health at UNICEF), to hear more about EASE.

We learn that, while not a ‘magic wand’, EASE has shown significant results and could help fill a gap in mental health support for young people in crisis-affected and low-resource settings. Mark, Sarah, and Zeinab discuss the rigorous training, competencies, and supervision needed for non-specialist providers, and the journey to develop, test and adapt EASE for implementation worldwide, including scale-up in Ukraine. They discuss future research opportunities, such as youth-led research or strengthening and simplifying the intervention. We learn that EASE should be integrated into a broader system of care, informed by national policy frameworks and practice standards. 

Key resources for practitioners

Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) – manual and practice materials in multiple languages published by the World Health Organisation

UNICEF Adolescent Mental Health Hub- resources for frontline workers, adolescents, and caregivers

Reach Now- a tool developed by War Child, for use by community members without a professional mental health background, to improve identification of mental health problems in young people and promote care seeking.

Read more about the research:

Mark J.D. Jordans et al. Evaluation of the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) intervention in Lebanon: A randomized controlled trial. Comprehensive Psychiatry, Volume 127 (2023). 

Bryant RA et al. (2022) Effectiveness of a brief group behavioural intervention on psychological distress in young adolescent Syrian refugees: A randomised controlled trial. PLoS Med 19(8): e1004046. 

Brown, F. et al. The Cultural and Contextual Adaptation Process of an Intervention to Reduce Psychological Distress in Young Adolescents Living in Lebanon. Front. Psychiatry, 23 March 2020, Sec. Public Mental Health, Volume 11 - 2020

Hamdani, Syed Usman et al. (2024) Effectiveness of a group psychological intervention to reduce psychosocial distress in adolescents in Pakistan: a single-blind, cluster randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, Volume 8, Issue 8, 559 – 570. 

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis-Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field. 

Thinking Healthy (TH), a brief psychological intervention that can be delivered by trained and supervised community health care workers. It uses simple cognitive behavioral techniques to provide mothers with support and to improve mental health outcomes for the mother and new-born infant.

In this fourth episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, speaks with Dr Waood Afara, Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Yemen‏, and Dr Elisabetta Dozio Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist at Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger- AAH) in France. Dr. Waood and Dr. Elisabetta are experts in both the research and practice of the Thinking Healthy intervention.

Together we examine why dealing with maternal depression is important in humanitarian settings and explain how the intervention works in programming, including how to integrate TH in the workload of already overburdened community health workers. The link between caring for mothers and improving outcomes for children is explored, as are the cultural adaptations required to implement TH and measure its effectiveness. Key insights include importance of empathy and understanding from community and family members to support mothers in recovering, and the critical role that community health workers can play in improved maternal mental health if trained, supervised, and empowered. 

Key resources for practitioners

Thinking Healthy: A manual for psychological management of perinatal depression (WHO manual in multiple languages) 

Thinking Healthy Training Guide for community health workers and volunteers (MHPSS Hub) 

Baby Friendly Spaces: Holistic Approach in Emergencies (ACF Guide) 

Read more about the research:

Dozio E, Wamba V, Pueugueu I. Adapting the Thinking Healthy Programme for Perinatal Depression: A Culturally Tailored Approach in Three Central African Countries. European Psychiatry. 2025;68(S1): S151-S151. doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.386

Tomlinson, M., Chaudhery, D., Ahmadzai, H. et al. Identifying and treating maternal mental health difficulties in Afghanistan: A feasibility study. Int J Ment Health Syst 14, 75 (2020). 

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis-Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field. 

For our colleague Nisreen Qawas, MHPSS director for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the voice of Hind Rajab was the person at the other end of the emergency call she received on 29th of January 2024 – the day five-year old Hind was killed alongside her family members and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society team that was sent to rescue her.   

 This was not the first or likely the last time Nisreen was losing colleagues in the line of duty, and not the first or likely the last time she had to deal with the loss and the feeling of responsibility. MHPSS Hub Director, Sarah Harrison interviewed Nisreen about moral injury in the line of duty.  

 Find more information about the work of Palestine Red Crescent Society:

 Website: Palestine Red Crescent Society

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palestine-red-crescent-society-prcs-2083371b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PalestineRCS  

Find more information about Hind Rajab:  

 The Voice of Hind Rajab official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_RC04CZpAY 

Hind Under Siege official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loucaVTr85k 

The Killing of Hind Rajab Forensic Architecture: https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/the-killing-of-hind-rajab 

 The podcast Heartbeat of Humanity is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.

Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.

Find more episodes of Heartbeat of Humanity.

In this third episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, talks to three experts with extensive experience with CETA, the Common Elements Treatment Approach System of Care: Dr Laura Murray (Founder, CETA Global; Senior Scientist, john Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), Cherry Soemyint (CETA trainer, Myanmar) and David Mwanza (CETA trainer, Zambia).

Together they explore how CETA is adapted for different service-user groups and contexts; and CETA’s potential to be linked with different interventions for long-term impact, as well as approaches to supervision and cost-effectiveness considerations. They talk about how it can be flexibly implemented and adapted to diverse countries, communities and contexts in response to needs-with CETA clients ranging from people with HIV in Zambia, to pregnant and lactating mothers in the Thai Burmese border.

CETA is a transdiagnostic system of care; starting with a brief assessment that helps triage and create a clinical care pathway, along with ongoing monitoring and evaluation. It is evidence-based for all ages (children, youth and adults) and is built from evidence-based CBT-cognitive behavioural therapy elements. It is meant to streamline and simplify care – moving away from siloed assessments and treatments (or those that assess or treat only one problem area).

Key resources for practitioners:

www.cetaglobal.org

www.ceta-global.com

Read more about the research:

Evaluation of phone-delivered psychotherapy for refugee children

Research Snapshot: Can a mental health intervention help people in humanitarian settings manage chronic diseases?

Integrating an evidence-based mental health intervention into non-communicable disease care (coming soon)

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis-Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field.

Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) are safe, structured places established quickly in emergencies where children can play, learn, and receive psychosocial support, to promote protection and wellbeing.

In this second episode, Sarah Harrison, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, speaks with Professor Alastair Ager, Queen Margaret University and Columbia University and Phiona Koyiet, MHPSS Lead, World Vision International, for a practitioner-focused reflection.

Together they examine what the evidence says about effectiveness and impact of CFS for children’s wellbeing, protection and mental health, drawing on rigorous research (see below) and unpack what this means in practice: setting and monitoring quality indicators, ensuring skilled facilitators (“animators”), and the importance of integrating CFS within a tiered system of care with clear referral pathways - since CFS are not ‘silver bullets’. They discuss field adaptations, cultural relevance, costs and staffing, and how evidence has shaped World Vision’s programming guidance.

Key resources for practitioners

Tools and guidance for monitoring and evaluating Child Friendly Spaces

The Toolkit for Child Friendly Spaces in Humanitarian Settings

Read more about the research:

Evaluating the longer-term mental health, developmental and systems impact of Child Friendly Spaces in humanitarian emergencies 

An RCT of enhanced Child Friendly Space interventions for children affected by conflict and displacement

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis-Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field. 

In this first episode Sarah Harrison, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, interviews Ken Carswell a Mental health Specialist from WHO and Lidiia Kasianchuk a psychologist from Ukraine with experience of implementing SH+. 

Together they unpack what practitioners need to know about implementation of both the book and group-based SH+ approaches, including field use and adaptation experiences; the impact of SH+ on service users and staff (the role of group facilitators is key). The importance of practice-based evidence and community engagement are explored, and the need for monitoring and evaluation, as well as more rigorous research to inform scaling and to explore motivation aspects.

SH+ is a stress management course developed by WHO supported by Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) and the EU Horizon2020 programme. 

Key resources for practitioners

• Psychological interventions implementation manual: integrating evidence-based psychological interventions into existing services
• Self-Help Plus (sh+): a group-based stress management course for adults
• The Self-Help Plus (‎SH+)‎ training manual: for training facilitators to deliver the SH+ course
• Self-Help Plus (SH+) online orientation course
• Doing What Matters in Times of Stress

Research and further reading

• Self-Help Plus (SH+): a new WHO stress management packageGuided self-help to reduce psychological distress in South Sudanese female refugees in Uganda: a cluster randomised trial
• Effectiveness of a WHO self-help psychological intervention for preventing mental disorders among Syrian refugees in Turkey: a randomized controlled trial
• Effectiveness of a WHO self-help psychological intervention to alleviate stress among healthcare workers in the context of COVID-19 in China: a randomised controlled trial
• Effectiveness of Self-Help Plus in its digital version in reducing anxiety and post-traumatic symptomatology among nursing home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: secondary analysis of randomised controlled trial data
• Highlighting Complementary Benefits of Problem Management Plus (PM+) and Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM) Interventions Delivered Alongside Broader Community MHPSS Programming in Zummar, Ninewa Governorate of Iraq

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field. 

The six-episode podcast series is called Evidence from the Frontline – mental health in crisis affected contexts and it is produced in a collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha - Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance.

Designed for MHPSS practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and offers practical insights from experts in the field. It will explore critical topics including effectiveness, implementation, adaptation, integration into existing programmes, human resources, costs, and the importance of cultural and contextual relevance.

So, if the Heartbeat of Humanity channel sometimes look, sound, or feel a little different in the coming months – don’t worry. If you’ve found value in Heartbeat of Humanity, Evidence from the Frontline will also be for you.

These two trainings, one in Kenya and one in Paraguay, mark a paradigm shift for the MHPSS Hub and Cátia and Guleed explains the challenges but also the major advantages of conducting MHPSS trainings regionally.

Interviewees:

• Serah Kalumbilo, Zambia Red Cross Society
• Ernest P. Nyame Annan, Ghana Red Cross Society
• Omar Sheikh Mohamud, Somali Red Crescent Society
• Nathalie Nyamukeba, ICRC

In the podcast, a  Community of Practice for Red Cross Red Crescent MHPSS focal points in the African region is being mentioned. For more information about the Community of Practice, contact MHPSS specialist Guleed Dualeh, gudua@rodekors.dk

The podcast episode will feature three guests: Guleed Dualeh, MHPSS Specialist at the MHPSS Hub, Anna Kachmaryk, MHPSS Training Specialist with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, and Sabrina Hermosilla, Assistant Professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and member of the ORF Think Tank. They have been involved in the initiative in different roles and will share their experiences and perspectives on the initiative and the link between sport and mental health.  

You can learn more about the Sport Coach+ initiative on: www.sportcoachplus.org. 

In this episode, MHPSS Adviser Arz Stephan talks to Brett  about who among children  and adolescents - or people in general - need further support following a natural hazard.

Brett is an Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is head of Tasmania’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and professor at the University of Tasmania. 

Brett has led several post-disaster programs in Australia to better support young people experiencing the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms. His approach has influenced post-disaster interventions globally.

Brett is currently a visiting scholar at the MHPSS hub. 

Brett is an Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is head of Tasmania’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and professor at the University of Tasmania. 

Brett has led several post-disaster programs in Australia to better support young people experiencing the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms. His approach has influenced post-disaster interventions globally.

Brett is currently a visiting scholar at the MHPSS hub. 

This episode of Heartbeat of Humanity is the third in a four-episode mini-series about the mental health of children and young adults in the contexts of emergencies or conflict.

Brett is an Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is head of Tasmania’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and professor at the University of Tasmania. 

Brett has led several post-disaster programs in Australia to better support young people experiencing the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms. His approach has influenced post-disaster interventions globally.

Brett is currently a visiting scholar at the MHPSS hub. 

This episode of Heartbeat of Humanity is the second in a four-episode mini-series about the mental health of children and young adults in the contexts of emergencies or conflict.

Brett has led several post-disaster programs in Australia to better support young people experiencing the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms. His approach has influenced post-disaster interventions globally.

Brett is currently a visiting scholar at the MHPSS hub. 

This episode of Heartbeat of Humanity is the first in a four-episode mini-series about the mental health of children and young adults in the contexts of emergencies or conflict.

Monia is the MHPSS Project Manager in charge of psychosocial support services at the Swiss Red Cross with 20 years of experience in the field of displacement and migration. She holds a Master degree in Social Work and Social Development and she is Head of the Sui SRK App project, a digital service providing psychological and psychosocial support to refugees

Kristofer is a Digital mental health expert with 20 years of experience working in private, public, and academic sectors. Kristofer holds a PhD in Psychology and he is currently a researcher at Linköping University. He is the founder and Chair of the National Association for Digital Psychologists, and member of the Swedish MHPSS network.

You can find the digital MHPSS toolkit here: https://mhpsshub.org/about-us/focus-areas/digital-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-mhpss/

The podcast Heartbeat of Humanity is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.

Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.

Find more episodes of Heartbeat of Humanity.

Almost 300 aid workers were killed in 2024 – the largest number in history. Additionally, more than 220 were wounded and more than 90 kidnapped.

These dire numbers reflect a shrinking humanitarian space. A situation worsening over the last decade where it is increasingly challenging to deliver aid unhindered and safely.  This has serious direct implications for humanitarian staff and volunteers but also increases the pressure of those responsible for the security within our organizations.

In this three episode podcast series we will discuss the mental challenges and coping mechanisms of the people who are working to keep their colleagues safe.  

The podcast Heartbeat of Humanity is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.

Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.

Find more episodes of Heartbeat of Humanity.

Almost 300 aid workers were killed in 2024 – the largest number in history. Additionally, more than 220 were wounded and more than 90 kidnapped. 

These dire numbers reflect a shrinking humanitarian space. A situation worsening over the last decade where it is increasingly challenging to deliver aid unhindered and safely.  This has serious direct implications for humanitarian staff and volunteers but also increases the pressure of those responsible for the security within our organizations. 

In this three episode podcast series we will discuss the mental challenges and coping mechanisms of the people who are working to keep their colleagues safe.     

Almost 300 aid workers were killed in 2024 – the largest number in history. Additionally, more than 220 were wounded and more than 90 kidnapped. 

These dire numbers reflect a shrinking humanitarian space. A situation worsening over the last decade where it is increasingly challenging to deliver aid unhindered and safely.  

This has serious direct implications for humanitarian staff and volunteers but also increases the pressure of those responsible for the security within our organizations. 

In this three episode podcast series we will discuss the mental challenges and coping mechanisms of the people who are working to keep their colleagues safe.     

Roubina Tahmazian, clinical psychologist and MHPSS delegate for the ICRC , shares her insights drawn from her experience working with families of the missing across different countries. Her compassionate perspective enlighten us on ways to prioritize children’s support while navigating complex family dynamics during such difficult times.

Resources mentioned in the podcast: 

• Learning from memories and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the future 
• Disasters: Deconstructed podcast, ‘Radical’ Disaster Studies? 

This is the third episode in a four-part series of Heartbeat of Humanity reflecting on the impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis. 

Resources mentioned in the podcast:
IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings

In this episode, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks with Ananda Galappatti, co-founder and co-Director of MHPSS.net about the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on MHPSS work in Sri Lanka and the legacy of this work on global MHPSS practice. 

Resources mentioned in the podcast: 

• IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings 
• Intervention Journal 
• Psychosocial Work in the Aftermath of the Tsunami: Challenges for Service Provision in Batticaloa, Eastern Sri Lanka 
• Responding to the psychosocial impact of the Tsunami in a war zone experiences from northern Sri Lanka 
• Sri Lanka's post-Tsunami psychosocial playground lessons for future psychosocial programming and interventions following disasters 
• Workshop report, Lessons Learned on the psychosocial response to the Tsunami 

Supportive supervision is a safe, supportive, confidential and collaborative relationship between a supervisor and supervisee, and/or supervisees where supervisees can voice their difficulties, discuss challenges and be recognized for their successes, receive constructive feedback and emotional support, and build their technical skills and capacity, and enhance quality of service provision.

For the World Mental Health Day, it is important de remember that supportive supervision is part of duty of care to ensure the safety and well-being of their staff and volunteers.

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In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Advisors Arz Stephan interviews MHPSS Technical advisor Ahlem Cheffi about the concepts of 'ethical dilemma' and 'moral injury' and how they impact humanitarian workers including Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers who are oftenamong the first responders. 

A moral injury is defined as a psychological distress which may happen around humanitarian work, following exposure to potentially morally injurious events that question our values and moral. Moral injury produces feelings of helplessness, despair and shame. The contrast between the altruistic and human mission and the harsh realities faced by aid workers can lead to profound emotional distress.

 An ethical dilemma occurs when the humanitarian imperatives to help others, save lives or alleviate suffering conflicts with the other humanitarian principles like the impartially or the neutrality. 

The ethical dilemma arises when the available resources, obligations and choices in a specific situation do not allow an ethical outcome.

 The episode introduces the MHPSS Evidence Building Toolkit and discusses challenges of National Societies with evidence-building and shows pathways to overcome these with best practice examples.  

•  MHPSS evidence building toolkit: https://pscentre.org/resource/mhpss-evidence-building-toolkit-repository/
• MHPSS evidence building report: https://pscentre.org/resource/promoting-mhpss-evidence-building-package-report/
• IASC MHPSS M&E Helpdesk webpage: https://mehelpdesk.mhpss.net/

Moral injury, on the other hand, is a deeper psychological wound resulting from actions or witnessed events that transgress one's ethical or moral beliefs. Humanitarian workers may struggle with moral injury when faced with the inherent dilemmas of providing aid in complex, often volatile environments. The difficult decisions made to prioritize resources or navigate ethical quandaries can haunt individuals long after the mission ends.

Addressing these psychological challenges is crucial for the well-being of aid workers and the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts. Support systems such as buddy systems or peer-to-peer support groups, debriefing sessions, and adequate resources play pivotal roles in mitigating the impact of survival guilt and moral injury.

Furthermore, organizational policies need to acknowledge and proactively address these issues to foster a trauma-informed humanitarian workforce. 

For more information:

Research in this field includes articles such as "The Psychological Impact of Providing Care to Traumatized Populations" (Smith et al., 2019), "Moral Injury in Humanitarian Aid Workers" (Williamson et al., 2020), and reports from renowned institutions like the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières. Understanding and mitigating survival guilt and moral injury are imperative for sustaining the mental well-being of those dedicated to alleviating global suffering, including: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/06/13/aid-worker-emotions-can-obstruct-meaningful-local-humanitarianism-localisation/

The podcast is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.

Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.

 - Global Youth Mobilization. Final Impact Report - Executive Summary. 2023. https://globalyouthmobilization.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GYM-Executive-Summary-2023.pdf

- WHO Youth Council: https://www.who.int/initiatives/who-youth-engagement/who-youth-council

• Orso Muneghina, head of the Global Programme Expert Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in SOS Children’s Village International
  
  
• Christel Voldby Winther, Program Manager of Mental Health in the Migration -and Refugee section in the National department of Danish Red Cross
  
  
• Ea Suzanne Akasha, MHPSS Technical Adviser in the IFRC Psychosocial Centre
  
  
• Teresa Sorde Marti, professor of Sociology at the Autonomous University and principal investigator of the REFUGE-ED project

Links:

• EPSUM: https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/mental-health-psychosocial-support-children-in-migration
  
  
• Resources on Child Friendly Spaces on the PS Centre website
  
  
• REFUGE-ED: https://www.refuge-ed.eu/

1. Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman
2. Has the pandemic really caused a 'tsunami' of mental health problems? - Richard Bentall

• From Darkness to Illumination: Climate Grief and Resilience in a Sea of Warnings
  https://climatecentre.org/downloads/files/Grief%20for%20KIC%20-%20deliverable%20%282020-01-13%29.pdf
• “Understanding Risk” session on climate and mental health
  https://understandrisk.org/from-darkness-to-illumination-climate-grief-and-resilience-in-a-sea-of-warnings/

The podcast Heartbeat of Humanity is about mental health and psychosocial support.

The podcast is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.

Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.

The podcast is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.

Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.