02 August 2021
Dear readers,
Welcome to the new edition of Global Mental Health Unboxed and welcome to the new readers! An August newsletter will be wise not to burden its readers with lengthy information and take a break instead. Therefore here is a pretty brief one so that you can enjoy your rest and relaxation time - just sharing a few interesting things from our global mental health field…
Any feedback and suggestions you want to send will reach me at manolova.gergana@gmail.com - and please email me about any your materials, job ads, publications and contributions you would like me to consider including here.
This newsletter is FREE. If you like it, please forward it to others who might enjoy it. Anyone not subscribed who wants to do so can simply hit the button below.
Yours,
Gergana
Events in Global Mental Health
The event calendar for 2021 is updated and you can keep track of it at globallyminded.org. Most of the events this year are taking place online and there is a serious question mark hanging over those announced to be in person. The online events are announced on a very short timeline and I often put them on the events list only 2-3 days before they are due, so I would recommend you keep checking the list regularly to see what is coming up.
7-9 September 2021 - Giving Voice to the Silent Burden: Maternal Mental Health Technical Consultation taking place online and organized by USAID in collaboration with World Health Organization and United Nations Population Fund - as you probably know, the US Agency for International Development has historically done little work related to mental health. This may be about to change. Insider information tells me the evidence synthesis presented at the consultation will be thorough and will come from a true intersection between maternal health and mental health. It will be interesting to hear what the discussions produce as future directions…
Jobs in Global Mental Health
The jobs listed here might not be advertised as being in global mental health and the decision for including them is mine alone. Unless otherwise stated, I have found out about them through job sites, social media posts, other newsletters and so on, so I have no more information on them than publicly available and you should refer to those listed in the job ad.
No or minimum experience necessary
Perinatal Mental Health Program Coordinator at University of Washington, US
Some experience (2-5 years) necessary
Projects Development Officer at P.H.O.E.B.E., UK - by 20 August
MHPSS Project Manager at Humanity and Inclusion, Ethiopia - by 25 August
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Coordinator at Medicos del Mundo, Ukraine - rolling deadline
5+ years of experience necessary
Social Science Data Manager at the Research Program for Children and Adversity, US - rolling deadline
Research Scientist at the Research Program for Children and Adversity, US - rolling deadline
Resources in Global Mental Health
A section for various opportunities, databanks, information sources that may prove helpful.
This month’s resources - podcasts! Something to take with you on the beach, for walks, for long vacation trips, or simply to recharge your enthusiasm for our field. Let me know about your favourite podcasts and I will make another section with them later this year.
Sparks of Care by Ember Mental Health - In their own words, “Ember is an initiative by the SHM Foundation that partners with community-based mental health initiatives around the world so that they can grow and thrive.” The first episode is now out and it’s straight from the founder of the Psychiatric Disability Organization in Kenya. Listen on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts.
Legal Wolf Podcast - “Discussing all things Mental Health, with interviews from professionals within the sector discussing their jobs, complexities and background and why they wanted to specialize in Mental Health.” Particularly worth it for the overview of various countries’ mental health systems and perspectives on mental health and homelessness, migration, law, disability and others. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Anchor.
QUAHRC Methods Podcast - the Qualitative Applied Health Research Centre at King’s College London has made an episode on co-producing research with young people with lived experience; listen to it on their website here.
Funding opportunities
Incentive Grants for Young Researchers from Low- and Middle-Income Countries by the World Health Organization - specifically for individual young researchers, who will be conducting research projects as part of their master’s degree requirements or, by exception, doctoral degree. Priority will be given to researchers based in LMIC countries. Deadline 30 September.
Ember 2021 callout for participants - Ember is calling for applications from community-based mental health initiatives working in low- and middle-income countries for a 12-month partnership and support. Deadline 24 August.
Mental Health Sustainability Fund by the Association of Mental Health Providers - providing funding to small charities based in the UK and supporting those with health inequalities exacerbated by Covid-19.
Latest Publications in Global Mental Health
The selection of publications ultimately reflects my personal knowledge and preferences, but I have no intended bias. Feel free to send me publications you consider interesting or that you would like to be featured.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) framework - we are probably all familiar with the Inter-agency Standing Committee MHPSS Intervention framework, the pyramid which shows how layers of mental health support build on each other. It was always intended for humanitarian emergencies, and the IRCRC have now published their proposed framework to cover all populations in all settings, as well as a helpful side-by-side comparison with IASC. This looks set to be the new simple illustration at the beginning of your presentation to explain to the audience how tiered MHPSS works. I like the fine nuances around basic and focused psychological support provided in the descriptions. But I don’t want to let go of the focus on community and family support, an amazing and underutilized resource for people who need MHPSS. And equally, I would have preferred to keep the basic services level. It was part of the IASC pyramid to underscore that people in emergency settings need their basic needs met to build on their mental health, but this need is confirmed by the larger understanding of social determinants of mental health as well - in every setting, for every population. The lack of these two elements to me represents a step back, because it lacks the emphasis on understanding mental health needs within the social context and integrating MHPSS horizontally in other services, including community and family mobilization.
The Language Corner is enjoying the moonrise and will be back soon…