Mental Health & Psychosocial Support

This thematic area targets individuals and communities affected by civil strife especially conflict and other manmade disasters. Interventions aim to ensure that individuals are supported to meet their psychological and mental health needs and to overcome any incident related psychological distress and trauma. Traditional community support systems are identified and mentored to ensure that individuals receive regular psychosocial support within a family and community setting.

Once identified, individuals are supported through group interventions and only those with coping difficulties are supported individually until a time when they can join a group. Services include; group counselling and psychosocial support, interactive learning among group members, structured group activities which include self facilitated discussion and problem sharing forums, sports and recreation. Services also include referrals to other helping services and in some cases direct socio economic support.

Mental health services are delivered within an approach that aims to increase community mental health outreach services and to integrate mental health care into primary health care. Our approach also aims to compliment clinical psychiatric treatment with family based social support. In a typical TPO mental health project, a health centre is identified at community level and general health workers trained and mentored to provide mental health care. Occasionally we would provide medicines and infrastructural support to these health centres. At the district health service level, we identify psychiatric clinicians and build their capacity to provide quality assurance and regular support supervision to the lower level health centres. At the family and household level, patients and their caregivers are organised into patient support groups and oriented on how to care for the mentally ill; ensuring that patients do not relapse on medication, attend clinic days and have their nutrition and hygiene needs taken care of. In return, we link these patient support groups to socio-economic support initiatives.
Mental Health project Uganda
Northern Uganda Mental Health Project covering Gulu, Kitgum and Pader

Gulu Regional Office - Mental Health Project