Mental Health in Complex Emergencies Course

Mental Health in Complex Emergencies (MHCE 18)

Online Syllabus

August 29 – December 15, 2022

The Mental health in Complex Emergencies course is designed to introduce professionals in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and humanitarian actors across all sectors to the best practices and ongoing discourses in providing MHPSS in relief settings. Some mental health and psychosocial professionals are unfamiliar with humanitarian settings and do not know how to adapt or provide MHPSS services in these contexts. The course is also useful and relevant to general humanitarian workers, because the manner in which humanitarian assistance is delivered in the different sectors such as health, education, nutrition, shelter, WASH and protection has a profound impact on the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of the affected populations.

Course learning objectives:

1. Develop the capacity of professionals in mental health or psychosocial work to deliver effective humanitarian MHPSS activities;
2. Develop the capacity of humanitarian professionals in all sectors of the humanitarian response (health, protection, education, shelter, WASH etc.) to integrate approaches that enhance MHPSS into their work.
3. The course will allow students to increase their understanding of:
   • The humanitarian context, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate and ecological crises, in various settings;
   • The underlying principles and frameworks (established by international consensus) for establishing MHPSS programs in emergencies;
   • Key clinical mental health issues;
   • Key protection and community issues;
   • Coordination;
   • Frameworks for the assessment, monitoring and evaluation of MHPSS;
   • Human rights and their relationship to MHPSS;
   • Cross cultural issues;
   • How to assess risks, address security issues, and understand the importance of self-care.

The online course will combine weekly live webinars and interactive discussion with structured online learning materials. It will also provide the opportunity to share case studies from students’ own practical experiences of MHPSS programs, to learn from other students and participate in debates around humanitarian action. Through this course, students will be made familiar with the most recent academic thought on MHPSS as well as learn from the experiences of field practitioners in designing and implementing MHPSS programs in complex emergencies. Students will be sensitized to the non-material, social aspects of humanitarian assistance and will be able to take into account the psychosocial context when planning humanitarian assistance.

The course will be taught by Dr. Marcio Gagliato, Professor Larry Hollingworth, Dr. Lynne Jones, Willem van de Put, Dr. Pieter Ventevogel and Claire Whitney as well as additional specialists.

For more information and to apply please click here. 

Upon fulfilling the course requirements described in the syllabus, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University.