1. dr. inka weissbecker, phd, mph global mental health and psychosocial advisor international...
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Dr. Inka Weissbecker, PhD, MPHGlobal Mental Health and Psychosocial Advisor
International Medical Corps
International Medical Corps Emergency Response Team arrived March 13th
Mental health and psychosocial support identified as urgent need
Response coordinated with national authorities and local coordination bodies
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IMC Response: Distributed IASC guidelines in
Japanese (over 12 organizations, more than 482 people).
Funded translation requested by Japanese National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of IASC MHPSS guidelines for the health sector
Organized workshops on IASC guidelines for Japanese mental health workers together with NIMH
Challenge: Best practices in MHPSS often not known or overlooked in emergencies
Recommended for helpers (e.g. relief workers) in conflict and crisis situations
A non-intrusive way of providing psychosocial support which teaches:
Doing no harm Normal reactions to stress and loss Listening in a supportive way Coping strategies Ways of linking people to needed services
including specialized referral for those experiencing severe distress
Staff self-care
IMC Response: Provided Training of Trainers for our
local partner organization TELL in PFA and adapted PFA training to local context
Trained 85 phone counselors from TELL and other organizations in PFA
Disseminated PFA handouts to five major relief organizations working in Japan (reaching over 4,000 people)
Challenge: Disaster responders often lack knowledge of how to respond to distress of affected population
Trainee scores on several dimensions of perceived competency in assisting those experiencing distress significantly increased post training
Trainees reported higher awareness of community empowerment, doing no harm, protection issues and self-care after training
International Medical Corps continues supporting local partners in scale up of PFA in Japan