Overview
Through a combination of hands-on training, didactic presentations, case studies, live demonstrations, and experiential exercises, trainees will gain knowledge on four essential mental health care elements:
WHO Mental Health Gap Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGap-HIG)
The mhGAP-HIG provides non-specialists with first-line assessment and management recommendations in the face of humanitarian emergencies where treatment options are limited. It covers acute stress, grief, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, epilepsy, harmful substance use and risk of suicide.
Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT Group) & Additional Modules
IPT is an evidence-based treatment widely used for adolescents and adults struggling to adapt in the aftermath of adversity. IPT has been tested for feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and sustainability in a number of landmark randomized controlled trials. Both the WHO mhGAP and UNHCR guidelines recommend the manual as an effective first line of treatment for depression delivered by non-mental health specialists in low- and middle-income countries. On the World Mental Health Day (October 10th, 2016), the WHO launched a global dissemination of the Group IPT Manual. This document will serve as the guide for the current training: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/250219/1/WHO-MSD-MER-16.4-eng.pdf
Family Engagement Strategies
Family support during episodes of mental illness is critical for recovery. In many regions the stigma of mental illness results in withdrawal of family support during episodes, when the person needs it most. We will train on family engagement strategies, which families have found helpful in our work around the globe.
Management of Suicide Risk
Risk assessment and evidence-based brief psychosocial interventions to mitigate suicidal risk in emergency settings will be covered, with an emphasis on the Safety Planning Intervention (SPI). SPI is an evidence-based, stand-alone intervention that has its roots in a brief cognitive therapy (CT). It is designed to manage and mitigate the risk for suicide, especially in acute care settings, such as trauma centers, crisis hotlines, psychiatric inpatient units and emergency departments.
* Certificate of attendance and in Training in Interpersonal Psychotherapy (Level A) will be provided upon completion of the institute.
Learning Objectives
The workshop aims to:
- Offer hands-on, interactive learning of the WHO Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy manual focused on the basic principles, strategies, and techniques of Group IPT for treatment of depression and post-traumatic symptoms.
- Build knowledge on how Group IPT is adapted and implemented in low-resource settings for persons affected by extreme adversities.
- Offer hands-on knowledge of the WHO/UNHCR mhGAP-HIG manual with emphasis on case identification and basic management of priority mental health conditions in humanitarian settings.
- Build understanding of basic facts about suicide, acquire skills to adequately assess suicide risk, and develop effective plans to mitigate risk in low-resource regions.
- Emphasize the crucial role of family participation in the process of treatment and provide effective strategies for family engagement.
Faculty
Lena Verdeli, Ph.D., M.Sc., Teachers College, Columbia University
Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology and Director of the Global Mental Health Lab, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Lena Verdeli has been teaching graduate psychology students, psychiatry residents and fellows on research and practice of empirically-supported treatments at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Verdeli’s research focuses on prevention and treatment of mood disorders in adolescents and adults and has received numerous federal and foundation grants for her work. She played a key role in the adaptation, training, and evaluation of psychotherapy protocols used by non-specialists in low-resource areas and has collaborated with academic and humanitarian groups in the US and abroad in treatment studies with depressed adults in southern Uganda and war-affected adolescents in IDP camps in northern Uganda; distressed primary care patients in Goa, India; depressed and anxious persons in Haiti; and traumatized internally displaced women in Bogota, Colombia. She has served as a Technical Advisor for the WHO, Division of Mental Health and Substance Use; Chair of the Research Working group for the Family Committee at the UN; Advisory Board member of the American Foundation for Suicide Research and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance; and Member of the Mental Health Advisory Board of the Millennium Villages Project of the Earth Institute.
Kathleen F. Clougherty, LCSW, New York State Psychiatric Institute
Instructor in Clinical Psychiatric Social Work (In Psychiatry) at Columbia University
Kathleen F. Clougherty is a senior Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) trainer and supervisor at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Instructor in Clinical Psychiatric Social Work (In Psychiatry) at Columbia University, an instructor at the Columbia University School of Social Work, and a private practitioner specializing in the treatment of depression in adolescents and adults. She is the co-author, along with Gregory Henrichsen, of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Older Adults. Ms. Clougherty has been a co-developer, on-site trainer and supervisor in several major international IPT studies including an adaptation of individual IPT for adults in rural India, an adaptation of group IPT for depressed men and women in southwest Uganda, and an adaptation of group IPT for depressed adolescents in internally displaced persons’ camps in northern Uganda. She currently is trainer and supervisor for a randomized controlled trial of IPT for older adults with traumatic grief, and she is developing adaptations of IPT for the World Health Organization and the Millennium Villages Project. Ms. Clougherty has done extensive training and supervision both nationally and internationally for social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists. She was trained in IPT by Dr. Gerald Klerman, the co-developer of IPT. Ms. Clougherty received her MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work.
Peter Ventevogel, M.D., United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Senior Mental Health Officer with the UNHCR
Peter Ventevogel is a psychiatrist and a medical anthropologist. Since October of 2013 he is the Senior Mental Health Expert with UNHCR, the refugee agency of the United Nations. From 2008-2013 he was the editor-in-chief of Intervention, Journal for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas, published by the War Trauma Foundation. He worked with the NGO HealthNet TPO in mental health projects in Afghanistan (2002-2005) and Burundi (2005-2008) and as their Technical Advisor Mental Health in the head office in Amsterdam (2008-2011). In 2011 and 2012 he also worked as psychiatrist with Arq Foundation, the national trauma expert center in the Netherlands. Peter regularly did consultancies for the World Health Organization and the UNHCR in Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan and Syria. He has been course director of several academic short courses such as the course ‘Culture, Psychology and Psychiatry’ (Amsterdam Masters of Medical Anthropology), and the ‘Practice Oriented Course Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Post Conflict Setting’ (HealthNet TPO, the Netherlands).
Testimonials
“I had the pleasure of participating in the Global Mental Health Summer Institute in April 2021. The level of commitment and passion towards building a human rights framework in global mental health, disability policy, and advocacy was incredibly inspiring. The training I received in Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (Group IPT) was invaluable. The Summer Institute equipped me with tools and resources that have proved to be extremely helpful in my development as a clinician. I feel fortunate to have received support and training from some of the most experienced global authorities in their respective fields. The Summer Institute is by far the most meaningful training program in which I have participated to date. Not to mention, it brought together the most intellectually curious, compassionate, and motivated group of individuals from around the world who I absolutely loved connecting with!”
---- Alexandra Simon
“The global mental health summer institute was an incredible opportunity to learn with mental health practitioners and policy makers from around the world. Their expertise, as well as the world class teachings from Columbia University and UNHCR were a major driving factor in how I have worked in the area of global mental health in the past year. I strongly recommend this course to anyone interested and passionate about mental health, whether you are considering a career shift, or have been working in the area for many years.”
---- Leisha Beardmore