Mental Health in Complex Emergencies Course

Course Description*

*This course is online asynchronous

The Mental Health in Complex Emergencies (MHCE) course is designed for professionals in mental health and social work, staff in humanitarian health and protection programs and volunteers who wish to learn how to establish, enhance, or integrate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) into humanitarian programmes. As they come together, each student and lecturer contributes their own unique experiences and insights in building a dynamic learning space.

The introductory course covers prevention, preparedness and response strategies that can be used with communities affected by diverse humanitarian emergencies, including conflict, post conflict, and disaster settings, and with refugees or internally displaced populations.

Students opt to receive either a Certificate of Completion or academic credit. In addition, they will have:

  • an increased understanding of mental health and psychosocial needs and interventions in complex emergencies
  • an understanding of important guidance documents, key issues, and debates within the field
  • an introduction to the key capacities required for establishing MHPSS activities in the field
  • critically reflected on their own role as a humanitarian actor

The course provides practical orientation and training on the technical processes of assessment, design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Significant attention will be given to understanding mental health problems and conditions and therapeutic approaches to address them in adults and children in humanitarian contexts. Other topics will include cultural validity and cultural change, and the practical aspects of security, well-being, and daily life in the field.

The ONLINE course reflects on the evolving nature of humanitarian emergencies, including the growing numbers of forcibly displaced people, the problems created by (chronic) conflict, and the climate and ecological emergencies.

Course Dates

August 29 - December 12, 2024

Course Cost

The course cost is $990 for a certificate of completion or this semester-long course can also be taken for three academic credits at the standard GSAS tuition rate. The course syllabus will be posted when it's available.

Upon fulfilling the course requirements described in the syllabus, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University. 

Apply

Click here to apply to "an in-person or online humanitarian training course"

Course Instructors

  • Marcio Gagliato, Ph.D.

    Humanitarian Response, Mental Health, Protection & Psychosocial Support Specialist.

    Director (Operations), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Network – MHPSS.net

     

  • Larry Hollingworth C.B.E.

    Humanitarian Programs Director, Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation (CIHC)

    Visiting Professor, Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA), Fordham University

     

  • Lynne Jones OBE, FRCPsych. Ph.D.

    Co- founder of MHCE course and honorary associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  • Willem van de Put

    Co-founder of MHCE, founder and director of Culture for Change (C4C)

    Research fellow at Fordham University

    Scientific expert at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp

  • Peter Ventevogel, M.D., Ph.D.

    Senior Mental Health Officer, Division of Resilience & Solutions, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

  • Claire Whitney, M.I.A., L.I.C.S.W.

    Senior Global Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Advisor

    Technical Unit, International Medical Corps

     

Contact

Please email [email protected] with any questions.