title: Transitioning mental health & psychosocial support: from short-term emergency to sustainable post-disaster development. Humanitarian Action Summit 2011.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Working Group (WG) on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support participated in its second Humanitarian Action Summit in 2011. This year, the WG chose to focus on a new goal: reviewing practice related to transitioning mental health and psychosocial support programs from the emergency phase to long-term development. The Working Group's findings draw on a review of relevant literature as well as case examples.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the Working Group was to identify factors that promote or hinder the long term sustainability of emergency mental health and psychosocial interventions in crisis and conflict, and to provide recommendations for transitioning such programs from relief to development.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Working Group (WG) conducted a review of relevant literature and collected case examples based on experiences and observations of working group members in implementing mental and psychosocial programming in the field. The WG focused on reviewing literature on mental health and psychosocial programs and interventions that were established in conflict, disaster, protracted crisis settings, or transition from acute phase to development phase. The WG utilized case examples from programs in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Sierra Leone, Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, and New Orleans (United States).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The WG identified five key thematic areas that should be addressed in order to successfully transition lasting and effective mental health and psychosocial programs from emergency settings to the development phase. The five areas identified were as follows: Government and Policy, Human Resources and Training, Programming and Services, Research and Monitoring, and Finance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The group identified several recommendations for each thematic area, which were generated from key lessons learned by working group members through implementing mental health and psychosocial support programs in a variety of settings, some successfully sustained and some that were not.
authors.affiliation: Health & Disability Advocates, Chicago, Illinois USA.
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Allden
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Betancourt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galappatti
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hijazi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kadis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leary
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weissbecker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakku
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D003906:Developing Countries; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012944:Social Support