Engagement objective

Pandemics and emergencies increase the risk of mental health problems and strain the mental health infrastructure. The World Health Organization felt the need to strengthen the South East Asia Region’s (SEAR) response to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in the context of COVID-19 recovery and future pandemics and emergencies.

StratComm was engaged to develop a multi-product package that would strengthen MHPSS in the SEAR countries.

Our process

With technical inputs from WHO and in-depth secondary research covering studies, guidelines and good practices across countries we created a comprehensive package that communities as well as governments could use to strengthen MHPSS.

Key outcomes

This Guidance and Capacity Building Package, builds on momentum towards strengthened community mental health services and addressing the social determinants of mental health through multisectoral engagement. It leverages global resources on delivery of mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) in emergencies such as COVID-19, disasters, and humanitarian crises. It's 3 components are:

1. Toolkit to operationalise the Regional Collaborative Framework.

2. Guidance brief on building climate-resilient communities to address psychosocial support services during crisis.

3. Training package on community based MHPSS for frontline workers and volunteers.

StratComm also conducted an online training across 10 countries. The training was aimed to orient government officials and other stakeholders on how to use the components of the package.