Mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings

"This document promotes good practices and intends to reduce harmful practices by community-based psychosocial programmes that address sexual violence in conflict settings"
WHO/RHR/HRP/12.16

"This is a guidebook for any agency, organization or academic doing rehabilitation work and focuses on the assessment to be conducted when an emergency first hits or just after a major event in an armed conflict. In these situations, typically a responding agency or group organizes an assessment team of five to eight people who go to the affected area to determine the needs of survivors. This handbook speaks to those assessment teams that focus on the psychosocial as well as physical needs of children, their families and the communities"

This resource outlines ten myths in relation to mental health and psychosocial support for conflict related sexual violence and presents relevant factual information
WHO/RHR/HRP/12.17

"This document is for humanitarian health actors working at national and sub-national level in countries facing emergencies and crises. It applies to Health Cluster partners, including governmental and non-governmental health service providers. Based on the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC, 2007), this document gives an overview of essential knowledge that humanitarian health actors should have about mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian emergencies"

"This guide covers psychological first aid which involves humane, supportive and practical help to fellow human beings suffering serious crisis events. It is written for people in a position to help others who have experienced an extremely distressing event. It gives a framework for supporting people in ways that respect their dignity, culture and abilities. Despite its name, psychological first aid covers both social and psychological support"

The HESPER Scale "aims to provide a method for assessing perceived needs in representative samples of populations affected by large-scale humanitarian emergencies in a valid and reliable manner. This manual includes the HESPER Scale (see Appendix 1), as well as a detailed explanation of how to use the HESPER Scale, how to train interviewers, and how to organise, analyze and report on a HESPER survey"

"This evaluation reports on how well the United Nations High Commission for Refugees considers and provides for the well-being and mental health of persons of concern to the agency. Through a survey of UNHCR field staff, extensive literature and policy review, and key informant interviews with MHPSS experts from academic institutions, international agencies and non-governmental organizations, this review provides insight into how UNHCR’s current activities contribute towards improved mental health and psychosocial well-being of displaced persons and how UNHCR’s current policy frameworks relate to established practices and frameworks in the MHPSS field"