Introduction to the course

The Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) recommends a set of psychological and pharmacological interventions that both specialists and non-specialists can implement. Within the Region, there is a need to develop psychological interventions in a simplified form, allowing them to be quickly learned by non-mental health professionals.

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to develop a virtual course that incorporates the fundamental knowledge and skills for the preparation, provision of training, follow-up, supervision, and monitoring of a PM+ implementation plan with the professionals identified in each country.

Objectives

The course’s objectives are to help participants:

•  Gain in-depth knowledge of the WHO Problem Management Plus (PM+) (Individual psychological help for adults impaired by distress in communities exposed to adversity manual)
•  Acquire the methodological competencies (content presentation, role-playing, case studies, modeling, group work, etc.) and skills necessary to deliver a PM+ intervention training course to non-specialists.
•  Adapt the training to the virtual modality; adapt tools, methodologies, time management, participants' expectations, among others.
•  Acquire skills for implementing, monitoring, and supervising the PM+ intervention.

Course Duration

Participants can expect to attend 8 synchronous sessions of two hours each, distributed once a week which gives a total of 16 hours. An average of 4 to 5 hours of course/study time of asynchronous work (group and personal/individual) for each of the weeks including the duration of the webinars, where modules will be running for a total of 40 hours.

Course Structure and Content

• Introduction to the scalable psychological interventions, the manual structure, and PM+ strategies
• Skills for a good PM+ facilitator
• How to supervise in PM+
• PM+ program implementation
• Consideration of cultural and gender differences, basic helping skills to build a supportive relationship and deal with complex contexts
• Tools for PM+ assessments and selection of persons to join the PM+ intervention
• Concept of adversity, the PM+ intervention, coping with stress
• Coping Strategies
• Get going, keep doing
• Strengthening social support
• Strategies for maintaining and regaining wellness
• The full summary of the plan implementation