Global Mental Health Webinar Series: Critical Cultural, and Practical Perspectives

"Juntas Podemos": A pilot study of participatory action learning cycles for improved well-being among internally displaced persons in Colombia

Mental health problems in conflict-affected countries is a complex issue that requires further attention. There is still no consensus on effective psychosocial interventions after exposure to traumatic experiences. Most efforts focus on clinical approaches, with an emphasis on individual diagnosis and treatment. This is also the case in Colombia, where decades of conflict have resulted in the internal displacement of over 8 million persons, and over 9 million victims. Support is anchored to short-term interventions, which have reached less than 10% of those in need. Community-based approaches providing psychosocial scaffolding for communities have much to offer the mental health landscape.

This presentation reports on a pilot project which implemented participatory action research cycles as a community-led response to conflict-related emotional distress for internally displaced persons in the Cundinamarca Department. Forty men and women were randomly sample from the National Victims register to participate. Overall, participants indicated that the intervention positively impacted their mental health and wellbeing in the following areas:

1. Identifying support systems;
2. Exploring identity;
3. Telling 鈥渙ur story鈥�; and
4. Looking to the future.

Implications for future work in this area are discussed.

Speaker:聽Dr. Rochelle Burgess

Dr. Rochelle Burgess is a leading community psychologist specializing in community-led approaches to health in contexts of adversity. For the past decade she has driven agenda to re-imagine the role of communities in the Movement for Global Mental Health, and acknowledge the importance of social interventions in addressing structural determinants of poor mental health. She holds a PhD and MSc in Social Psychology from the LSE and a BSc (hons) in Psychology from McMaster University. She has led and contributed to projects in a range of settings, including: South Africa, Colombia, Nigeria, Kingdom of Eswatini, Zimbabwe and the UK. She is a Lecturer in Global Health, Deputy Directory of UCL Centre for Global Non-Communicable Diseases; and Founder and Director of UCL鈥檚 Global Network on Mental Health and Child Marriage. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health and a member of the UK Trauma Council.

Moderator

M贸nica Ruiz-Casares
PhD, MSc, MA, LLB
Associate Professor
Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry
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November 26, 2020

15:00-16:30 (Montreal EDT)
Attendance: Online platform

Recording

Recommended readings

Burgess, R. A., Jain, S., Petersen, I., & Lund, C. (2020).听.听The Lancet Psychiatry. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30397-9

Burgess, R. A., & Fonseca-Duran, L. (2019).听.听Global Public Health. doi:10.1080/17441692.2019.1663547

Campbell, C., &聽Burgess, R. (2012).听.听Transcultural Psychiatry, 49 (3-4), 379-395. doi:10.1177/1363461512454643