MHPSS.net Webinar:'Self Help Plus for South Sudan Refugees'

MHPSS.net was pleased to announce the webinar on “Self-Help Plus: an effective and scalable tool to reduce distress among South Sudanese refugees?" which featured presentations from Ken Carswell (WHO), Safina Yusuf (HealthRight International), and Wietse A. Tol (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and HealthRight International). The webinar was held on Thursday, 2nd May 2019 at 1pm UTC.

In order to address the massive mental health needs of populations affected by adversity (including collective violence and displacement), the World Health Organization has developed a range of scalable psychological interventions. One of those is Self Help Plus: a group-based intervention in which trained lay persons facilitate five weekly 1-2 hour workshops for 20 to 30 participants supported by audio recordings and an illustrated book. The NGO HealthRight, WHO, UNHCR, the Ministry of Health Uganda and other partners have adapted and tested this novel methodology in northern Uganda among South Sudanese refugee women. Preliminary outcomes suggest that this adapted version may be an effective first-line approach to reduce psychological distress among South Sudanese refugee women. Ongoing research among other refugee populations, including Syrian refugees and South Sudanese refugee men, shall provide information about effectiveness and utility in other populations.This webinar consisted of three brief presentations that:1) describe what Self Help Plus is (Ken Carswell);2) discuss the adaptation for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda and the experiences with implementation in this group (Safina Yusuf);3) provide some results of the research in Uganda (Wietse Tol).