Building Resilience in Families, Communities, and Organizations: A Training Program in Global Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

• Author: Winnifred Simon,Jack Saul
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12248
• Published date: 01 December 2016
• Date: 01 December 2016

Building Resilience in Families, Communities, and

Organizations: A Training Program in Global Mental

Health and Psychosocial Support

JACK SAUL*

WINNIFRED SIMON

†

This article describes the Summer Institute in Global Mental Health and Psychosocial

Support, a brief immersion training program for mental health, health, and allied profes-

sionals who work with populations that have endured severe adversities and trauma, such

as domestic and political violence, extreme poverty, armed conflict, epidemics, and natural

disasters. The course taught participants to apply collaborative and contextually sensitive

approaches to enhance social connectedness and resilience in families, communities, and

organizations. This article presents core training principles and vignettes which illustrate

how those engaging in such interventions must: (1) work in the context of a strong and sup-

portive organization; (2) appreciate the complexity of the systems with which they are

engaging; and (3) be open to the possibilities for healing and transformation. The program

utilized a combination of didactic presentations, hands-on interactive exercises, case

studies, and experiential approaches to organizational team building and staff stress

management.

Keywords: Global Mental Health; Family and Community Resilience; Global Mental

Health and Psychosocial Support; Global Mental Health Training; Psychosocial

Approach; Human Rights Strengthening

Fam Proc 55:689–699, 2016

OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM

The Summer Institute in Global Health and Psychosocial Support was a two-module

immersion training program for mental health, health, and allied professionals work-

ing with populations who have endured severe adversities and trauma, such as domestic

and political violence, extreme poverty, armed conflict, epidemics, and natural disasters.

The two modules ran over 2 weeks in July 2015. Module I introduced the participants to

clinical and community approaches to promoting mental health and psychosocial well-

being informed by a multisystemic, strength-based perspective. Module 2 focused on psy-

chosocial and clinical approaches targeting populations at risk for common mental health

conditions. Participants received training based on the World Health Organization Mental

*International Trauma Studies Program, New York, NY, USA.

†

Antares Foundation, Diemen, North Holland, The Netherlands.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jack Saul, International Trauma Studies

Program, 245 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2205, New York, NY 10013. E-mail: jacksaul@mac.com.

The authors would like to acknowledge Helena Verdeli, director of the Global Mental Health Lab at

Teachers’ College. Columbia University, for co-directing the Summer Institute in Global Mental Health

and Psychosocial Support and Arianna Schindle of the International Trauma Studies Program for her

assistance in writing this article.

689

Family Process, Vol. 55, No. 4, 2016 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12248