| Title: |
Community-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (CB-MHPSS) in Humanitarian, Development and Health Settings |
| Keywords: |
Well being
Psychosocial
Mental health
Humanitarian setting
Fragile environment
|
| Country: |
United Kingdom
|
| Institution: |
UK - Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
|
| Course coordinator: |
Kathleen Rutledge
|
| Date start: |
2026-01-19 |
| Date end: |
2026-04-17 |
| About duration and dates: |
Application deadline: Apply any time prior to 1 December 2025 Face-to-face sessions (for onsite students) and online live (synchronous) sessions Number of weeks: 12 weeks (plus 1 ‘reading week’) |
| Classification: |
advanced optional
|
| Mode of delivery: |
Blended-learning
|
|
Course location:
Blended Learning delivered face-to-face in Main campus building, as well as online delivery available. |
|
| ECTS credit points: |
7 ECTS credits
|
SIT:
200 SIT:
Scheduled (live/synchronous) seminar sessions: 25 hours
Self-directed individual study of online materials and readings: 125 hours
Participation on moderated discussion boards: 50 hours |
|
| Language: |
English
|
Description:
LO1 Critically evaluate key theoretical frameworks underpinning CB-MHPSS, including psychological, sociocultural, and rights-based approaches.
LO2 Design contextually appropriate strategies for identifying, engaging and reinforcing effective, existing resilience and well-being promotion capacities within communities.
LO3 Assess the integration of psychosocial considerations in diverse sectoral programmes and services, making adaptations to strengthen their potential positive impact on mental health and well-being.
LO4 Co-create programmes and services with diverse stakeholders that effectively engage culturally adapted, scalable psychosocial interventions to strengthen non-specialised and specialised MHPSS supports available to those in need for additional assistance.
LO5 Critically evaluate and apply emerging evidence and new, innovative approaches to MHPSS, in alignment with global ethics and standards. |
|
Assessment Procedures:
The summative assessment is a written assignment (3,500 words) through which students will apply and critically engage with community-based psychosocial support (CBPS) principles in a practical context pertinent to their own interests/professional area of focus. The three assessment options available align with distinct professional spheres focus areas within the MHPSS sector. Students may choose either to:
● Critically evaluate the degree of integration of community-based mental health and psychosocial support core principles within an existing scalable psychological intervention of your choosing, and develop a plan to adapt the intervention for a new context or population, engaging community-based approaches and an appropriate adaptation framework.
● Critically evaluate the degree of integration of community-based mental health and psychosocial support core principles within an existing scalable psychological intervention of your choosing, and develop a context-specific integration plan for the mainstreaming of the psychological intervention into a primary healthcare setting, engaging community-based approaches and an appropriate mainstreaming framework.
● Critically evaluate an existing project or service of your choosing - from any sector - analysing the degree of integration of community-based mental health and psychosocial core principles and developing an action plan with timebound recommendations for project managers to take to strengthen the CB-MHPSS approach within the project or service. Use relevant theories and frameworks covered in the module.
Formative feedback will be provided during seminars and group activities, including case study analyses and class discussions. Additionally, a formative assignment will provide a distinct opportunity for peer-to-peer and tutor feedback. In the formative assignment, students will work in groups to critically analyse a real-world project, reflecting on the degree to which CB-MHPSS principles are integrated into the project and developing a set of theoretically justified recommendations for mainstreaming CB-MHPSS approaches throughout the proposed project. The group will deliver a presentation summarizing their analysis and recommendations, the substance of which will be peer and tutor-reviewed. The formative assignment engages concepts and skills required to adapt a scalable intervention, mainstream a psychological intervention into a health setting, strengthen the psychosocial considerations within any sectoral programme and critically evaluate an innovation, fulfilling the learning objectives and helping to prepare students for both summative assessment components.
The formative assessment is not marked. The summative assessment will be identified by matriculation number only and will be marked anonymously. To pass each module a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% with a minimum mark of 40% in each individual assessment component. Resitting the same assessment (within the following semester) is
allowed though capped at 50% as per QMU regulations.
NOTE: Plagiarism: The process or practice of using another person’s ideas or work and pretending it is your own. This includes E-cheating, specifically the unauthorized and unattributed use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in written assignments, and essay banks. |
|
Content:
● This course provides an overview survey of core concepts and standards that underpin and shape MHPSS approaches and activities in diverse contexts globally, with an in-depth exploration of foundational community-based approaches, practicing how to critique and adapt any programme or service to strengthen the integration of those principles which reinforce sustainable well-being improvements. Additionally, ‘taster’ training sessions will deepen the learning opportunities of course participants – ensuring students are oriented to and have the opportunity to apply fundamental components of some of the most widely used scalable interventions globally.
● Mental health and well-being paradigms - psychological, social, cultural and anthropological perspectives
● International standards, frameworks and core principles in community-based MHPSS
● Do No Harm: MHPSS that is Rights-Based, Participatory, Disability Inclusive, Gender Sensitive, Faith-Sensitive, Conflict Sensitive and Builds on Existing Capacities
● MHPSS in diverse contexts and populations: emergencies, migration and displacement, pre-emergency/stable contexts
● Community-based approaches to mental health & psychosocial support – rationale, core principles and approaches
● Integrated Approaches to PSS - Tools and standards for mainstreaming psychosocial considerations in a). basic needs and security b). family and community supports and c). psychosocial focused service
● Understanding specialised service and engaging community-based approaches to building mental health care capacity within existing services in fragile contexts
● Using and contextualising scalable PSS Interventions, such as Psychological First Aid (PFA), Self-Help Plus, Problem Management Plus+ and mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (HIG), with an emphasis on the basics of PFA
● Current Developments and Debates: Trends and Innovations in MHPSS |
|
Methods:
Each weekly Learning Unit comprises approximately 6-8 hours of guided study material, which includes activities ranging from specified readings, narrated PowerPoints, videos and podcasts, each accompanied by prompting questions. This varies from general reflection on the content of the Unit; through specified reflection exercises on specific topics; to guided sharing of analyses with other participants for peer review and feedback. Based on these questions, students will spend about 1 hour per week posting materials on the Discussion Board (which is accessible to tutors and participants) and reviewing/ commenting on other students’ posts. Additionally, every week participants will attend a synchronous live session, which will last approximately 2 hours (total of 24 hours across the module). (Note: 2-hours per week for nine of the course weeks with 3-hour extended tutorials for application exercises on two of the weeks and a week for self-directed review and work on the formative activity approximately half-way through the module).
The aim of the live sessions is to provide a recap, revision and discussion of the main messages covered by the Units and to offer space for extended application exercise to consolidate skills-based learning. The format/approach will vary each week, but it will normally require active participation from students – e.g., in the form of an interactive lecture (with questions or group discussions throughout) or in the form of a seminar or facilitated tutorial. Time for Q&A including on practical aspects of the course will be always allowed. Students will be encouraged to draw on their personal and professional experience, where relevant, throughout the module and contribute actively to the online discussions. |
|
Prerequisites:
Proven proficiency in spoken and written English to IELTS level of an overall score of 6.5 with no component less than 5.5; or for the TOEFL iBT an overall score of 80 with no component less than 17.
• Regular access to a computer and the internet (broadband) for the duration of the module.
Basic computer skills, including using the world-wide web |
|
Attendance:
Maximum number of students is 30 (no limit on number of TropEd students). Min number of students = 6 |
|
Selection:
No specific selection criteria apply – first come first served principle. |
|
Fees:
Home students (On Campus): £1,145 per 7 credit ECTS
module
International students (On Campus): £2,540 per 7
credit ECTS module
Distant learners (Online): £1,145 per 7 credit ECTS module |
|
Scholarships:
QMU Bursary and Commonwealth Scholarships offered to full-time QMU students. There are no scholarships for visiting TropEd students nor for individual modules. |
|
tropEd accreditation:
Accredited in Amsterdam, Sept. 2025. This accreditation is valid until Sept. 2030 |
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Remarks:
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (2007). Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies. Geneva: IASC.
Mathias, K.; Bunkley, N.; Pillai, P; Ae-Ngibise, K.A.; Kpobi, L.; Taylor, D; Joag, K; Rawat, M; Hammoudeh, W; Mitwalli, S; Kagee, A.; Rensburg, A.; Bemme, D.; Burgess, R; Jain, S.; Kienzler, H; Read, U.M. (2024). Inverting the deficit model in global mental health: An examination of strengths and assess of community mental health care in Ghana, India, Occupied Palestinian territories, and South Africa.
Horn, R.; Besselink, D. & Tankink, M. (2016)
Introduction to Special section: Mainstreaming psychosocial approaches and principles into ‘other’ sectors. Intervention, 14(3), 207–210.
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) (2022). Manual on Community-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies and Displacement. IOM, Geneva. |
|
| Email Address: |
KRutledge@qmu.ac.uk |
| Date Of Record Creation: |
2025-11-06 08:40:58 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Of Record Release: |
2025-11-06 08:49:00 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Record Checked: |
2025-11-06 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Last Modified: |
2025-11-06 08:49:00 (W3C-DTF) |
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