Resources

Summary

Humanitarian actors are increasingly active in protecting and improving people’s mental health and psychosocial well-being during and after emergencies. A significant gap, however, has been the absence of a multi-sectoral, inter-agency framework that enables effective coordination, identifies useful practices, flags potentially harmful practices, and clarifies how different approaches to mental health and psychosocial support complement one another.

These guidelines reflect the insights of practitioners from different geographic regions, disciplines, and sectors, and reflect an emerging consensus on good practice among practitioners. The core idea behind this guideline is that, in the early phase of an emergency, social supports are essential to protect and support mental health and psychosocial well-being. In addition, the guidelines recommend selected psychological and psychiatric interventions for specific problems.