Global Mental Health Delivery

Background & Rationale:

The mental healthcare gap is enormous in the world, primarily in developing countries. Due to the lack of psychiatrists and psychologists to address the increasing burden of mental illness globally, innovation is essential in mental health delivery. In this context, the certificate in global mental health delivery course has been launched to train students, public health professionals, mental health professionals and medical officers on innovative community-based mental health delivery with examples from Nepal.

Goals & Objectives:

  • Provide foundational knowledge on global mental health and community mental health
  • Discuss innovative community-based mental health projects with examples from Nepal
  • Provide hands-on training on community-based mental health projects in Dang and Chitwan districts of Nepal

Stakeholders & Providers

Organizing Institution / Lead Organization:

  1. Health Foundation Nepal, a non-profit organization in the United States and Nepal since

2013

Collaborating Partners / NGOs / Academic Institutions:

  1. Local and Global Initiative for Mental Health Equity(LIME), Department of Psychiatry at

Massachusetts General Hospital, USA

  1. Nepal Institute of Mental Health, a non-profit organization in Nepal since 2021

Facilitators / Trainers/ Advisors:

Shreedhar Paudel, MD, MPH

  • Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
  • President, Cofounder and Director of Mental Health, Health Foundation Nepal (USA)
  • Executive Director and Cofounder, Nepal Institute of Mental Health (NIOMH)

Sanjay Yadav, MD

 

  • Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Penn State College of Medicine
  • Cofounder and President of NIOMH

 



Jagan Subedi, MD

 

Psychiatrist, Cofounder and Executive Member of NIOMH

 


 

Rabin Dahal, MD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

 


 

Saraswati Dhungana, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Nepal

 


 

Jayanti Dhungana, MD 

Dysp. Consultant Psychiatrist, Nepal Police Hospital, Nepal

 


 

Khagendra Kafle, MD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Chitwan Medical College, Nepal

 


 

Anuradha Acharya, MA

Consultant Psychologist, HFN and NIOMH, Nepal

 

Arham Javaid

Psychiatry Resident, BronxCare Health System, New York, USA


Ms. Anu Aryal

PhD Candidate, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA


Dr. Sudhamsu Gautam

Research Collaborator, Nepal Institute of Mental Health, Chitwan, Nepal

Target Audience

  • Medical students
  • Medical Graduates
  • NGO staff
  • Teachers and educators
  • General public interested in mental health

Program Structure

Duration:
8 Weeks

Format:

  • Hybrid (online + field)
  • 4-week virtual
  • 4 weeks on-site: (if interested)

Weekly Commitment:
~10/week (2 sessions per week, self-reading material, webinars, Lectures)

Eligibility Criteria:
Interested candidate with a letter of Interest

Medium of Language: English and Nepali

Curriculum Outline

Current Courses

Future Updates

Teaching & Learning Mediums

  • Live webinars / Zoom
  • Downloadable reading materials (PDFs, handouts)
  • Short educational videos
  • Roleplays / simulations
  • Group chats on Slack/WhatsApp
  • Local field visits / shadowing experiences
  • Guest speakers (e.g. survivors, professionals)

Assignments & Assessment

  • Weekly reflection journals
  • Case study reviews
  • Community mapping project
  • Final capstone project or presentation
  • Participation in live sessions
  • Optional quiz or test

Certification Criteria:

  • 100% attendance
  • Submission of all assignments
  • Completion of final project

Supervision, Monitoring & Quality Control

  • Weekly review meetings by training team
  • Participant feedback forms
  • Trainer debriefs
  • Peer observation
  • Anonymous evaluations
  • Advisory committee oversight

Research & Documentation

  • Baseline and post-training surveys
  • Focus groups or interviews
  • Field diaries or photovoice
  • Knowledge assessments
  • Ethical approval (if needed for publication)

Fieldwork / Internship Option

Resource person: Program manager and staff at HFN and NIOMH

Types of Fieldwork:

  • School visits, community sessions, awareness campaigns
  • Participating in helplines or support groups
  • Supporting research/data collection
  • Shadowing professionals

Outputs Expected:

  • Reflection report
  • Presentation or project summary

Field partner feedback

Tools & Resources Provided

  • Relevant literatures
  • Published works
  • Sample session plans
  • WHO materials (mhGAP, PFA, etc.)
  • Mental health awareness posters

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