Global Mental Health Lab at Teachers College

Our Mission


The mission of the Global Mental Health Lab at Teachers College (GMH Lab @ TC) is to reduce the burden of mental illness and improve wellbeing in under-resourced communities around the world through:

  • Research on evaluation, adaption and implementation of evidence-based psychotherapies, globally. In recent years, we have pioneered landmark studies and controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT).
  • Training and capacity building in evidence-based psychotherapies, specifically IPT of mental health professionals, paramedics, non-specialists and laypersons in high, middle and low-income countries.
  • Service provision, consulting and partnering with global agencies, NGOs, non-profit agencies, federal agencies, foundations, academic centers and ministries of health on building systems of care involving psychotherapy.

Where We Work


Foci


Policy Assessment Training & Capacity Building Research /Implementation Psychotherapy in Under-resourced Settings
  • Assessment: Of local idioms of distress, mental health needs, and attitudes toward illness and treatment; Instrument development and psychometrics; Development of new and validation of existing symptom and functioning scales; Cross-cultural assessment; Assessment of providers' and supervisor's competence and short- and long-term skill retention; Assessment of mental health, health, and non-health outcomes (such as food security and school attendance of children) related to mental health interventions.
  • Training and Capacity Building: Training of trainers methods; Task shifting strategies and capacity building: effective educational strategies of training and supervising adult learners from various educational backgrounds and cultures; Development of e-tools and knowledge management systems in assessment, training, supervision as well as ongoing monitoring and quality improvement of provider performance and patient care.
  • Psychotherapy in Under-Resourced Settings: Evidence-based psychotherapy  strategies relevant to GMH; principles of integrating psychotherapeutic strategies; cultural competence; principles of selection of interventions tailored to the demands of each setting; adaptation of psychosocial interventions for cultural relevance; manualization of treatment.
  • Research/Implementation: Design and implementation of clinical trials and program evaluations; ethical conduct of cross-cultural research with vulnerable populations; prevention science; identification of sustainable delivery routes and principles of services research.
  • Policy: National-level mental health situational analysis; partnering with government and non-government stakeholders to develop and implement mental health policy; international human rights and public health law as related to mental disabilities; economics in mental health; service and human resources development.
Cover features an illustration of people engaged in group therapy

WHO Manual for Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for Depression

Developed by Helen Verdeli, Ph.D., M.Sc., Kathleen F. Clougherty, LCSW & Myrna Weissman, Ph.D., Columbia University, New York

Disseminated free of cost, worldwide by the World Health Organization (WHO)

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