International Conference on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Crisis Situations

Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) should be an integral part of the humanitarian response in crisis and emergency situations.

To promote the rapid adoption of this approach, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation hosted an international conference at KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam on the 7th and 8th of October, 2019.

The live streams of both conference day 1 and conference day 2 are still available for playback.

Participants included MHPSS experts, policymakers, ministers, donors and people with lived experience.

KIT at the MHPSS conference

KIT’s work in mental health and health systems strengthening in fragile settings was on display in the conference’s marketplace area. Mark Schneiders, KIT’s CEO, also welcomed conference attendees with introductory remarks on Monday 7 October.

A crash course on Psychological First Aid

KIT, together with its partners, piloted a new crash course to encourage the use of psychological first aid (PFA) in crisis settings. Through scenario-based role play, it teaches mental health professionals and trained lay people to put PFA into practice and gain valuable experience helping others in need of psychological support.

Visit our project page to learn more.

STRENGTHS: psychological support for Syrian Refugees

Millions of Syrian refugees have been affected psychologically by the Syrian conflict. KIT is a proud partner of the STRENGTHS project, which is training Syrian refugees to provide a mental-health support to fellow Syrian refugees. Visit our project page to learn more.