8 Topics
5 Days
24 Sessions
Programme Overview
Training Description
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) training is vital for creating a holistic, trauma-informed care environment across healthcare and community settings:
- Direct Care Clinical Staff: Doctors, nurses, midwives, and clinical officers who encounter patients experiencing acute or chronic emotional distress.
- Mental Health Specialists: Psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and licensed mental health counselors.
- Emergency & Crisis Response Teams: Emergency department staff, trauma personnel, ambulance crews, and disaster relief workers.
- Support & Social Services: Social workers, case managers, patient advocates, and community health workers.
- Healthcare Leadership & Administration: Hospital managers and human resources personnel responsible for staff well-being, peer support programs, and creating a psychologically safe workplace.
Session Objectives
- Define core concepts of mental health, psychosocial well-being, and the interconnectedness of physical and mental health.
- Apply psychological first aid (PFA) principles to support individuals experiencing acute distress, crisis, or trauma.
- Recognize common mental health conditions (such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and acute stress reactions) and identify warning signs of self-harm or suicide.
- Demonstrate trauma-informed care practices that prioritize patient safety, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
About the Course
Welcome to the training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS).
For too long, healthcare operated under a rigid divide between physical health and mental health. Modern healthcare recognizes a fundamental reality: there is no health without mental health. Illness, injury, hospitalization, and trauma do not affect just a physical organ; they impact an entire human being, altering their emotional state, family dynamics, social roles, and sense of safety.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support encompasses any type of local or external support that aims to protect or promote psychological well-being and/or treat mental disorders. In healthcare settings, MHPSS ensures that clinical care is delivered with deep empathy, acknowledging the emotional vulnerability of patients while actively safeguarding the psychological well-being of the workforce.
Why This Training Matters
Medical trauma, chronic illnesses, and high-stress environments routinely trigger anxiety, depression, and acute stress responses in patients. Furthermore, healthcare professionals themselves face unprecedented levels of burnout and secondary trauma.
By the end of this program, participants will possess the practical listening tools, trauma-informed mindset, and crisis-support skills needed to address the whole person—fostering true healing and emotional resilience.
Curriculum & Topics
8 Topics | 24 Sessions
-
Workshop 1.1:
Core definitions: Mental health, mental illness, psychosocial well-being, and resilience.
-
Workshop 1.2:
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) pyramid of MHPSS interventions (from basic services to specialized care).
-
Workshop 1.3:
The bi-directional link between physical illness and mental health challenges.
-
Workshop 2.1:
Understanding the impact of trauma on the brain, behavior, and health outcomes.
-
Workshop 2.2:
The Six Core Principles of Trauma-Informed Care: Safety, Trustworthiness, Peer Support, Collaboration, Empowerment, and Cultural/Historical consideration.
-
Workshop 2.3:
Shifting the clinical question from "What is wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?"
-
Workshop 3.1:
The goals and core actions of PFA: Look, Listen, and Link.
-
Workshop 3.2:
Providing humane, supportive, and practical assistance to individuals in acute distress without forcing them to talk.
-
Workshop 3.3:
Managing immediate post-crisis stabilization and preventing re-traumatization.
-
Workshop 4.1:
Recognizing verbal, behavioral, and situational warning signs of suicide and self-harm.
-
Workshop 4.2:
Conducting direct, non-judgmental risk inquiries and safety planning.
-
Workshop 4.3:
Immediate crisis intervention, restriction of lethal means, and emergency psychiatric referral protocols.
-
Workshop 5.1:
Overview of major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorders, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
-
Workshop 5.2:
Distinguishing between normal grief/stress reactions and clinical pathology.
-
Workshop 5.3:
Managing behavioral symptoms in acute medical or delirium settings.
-
Workshop 6.1:
Empathetic listening techniques for distressed, anxious, or grieving patients and families.
-
Workshop 6.2:
Verbal de-escalation strategies for acute emotional agitation or panic.
-
Workshop 6.3:
Utilizing validating language and avoiding dismissive or minimizing statements.
-
Workshop 7.1:
Building effective referral networks between general healthcare providers and mental health specialists.
-
Workshop 7.2:
Overcoming the stigma of mental health in clinical settings.
-
Workshop 7.3:
Collaborative care models that treat physical and psychological symptoms simultaneously.
-
Workshop 8.1:
Understanding compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and occupational burnout.
-
Workshop 8.2:
Recognizing personal warning signs of emotional exhaustion.
-
Workshop 8.3:
Implementing individual self-care plans and organizational peer-support frameworks.
