Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

In Sri Lanka, the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated many existing issues and heightened vulnerabilities placed on specific groups of people, especially women and children. The State Ministry of Women and Child Development, Pre-School & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Service (SMWCD) has been sensitive to the increase of dom… Read more

Supervision of one’s practice is key for counselors seeing clients in many countries around the world. For Sri Lankan government counselors introduced into cadre positions by the Mental Health Policy of 2005-2015, however, this was not the case. In 2015, through a collaboration of The Asia Foundation and government ministries, peer support was intr… Read more

The Covid-19 pandemic halted many of the usual service provision avenues available to government cadre counselors in Sri Lanka. They had to relearn how to support clients remotely, set up boundaries and new protocols for client support as well as respond to various needs of communities facing natural disasters amidst the pandemic. This pocket guide… Read more

This booklet was compiled by The Asia Foundation in collaboration with the Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists to support doctors, nurses, attendants, paramedics, and other frontline healthcare workers who were experiencing burnout and stress in the midst of the pandemic. The booklet provides a clear guide for various techniques in managing stress,… Read more

This booklet was compiled by The Asia Foundation in collaboration with the Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists to support doctors, nurses, attendants, paramedics, and other frontline healthcare workers who were experiencing burnout and stress in the midst of the pandemic. The booklet provides a clear guide for various techniques in managing stress,… Read more

Supervision of one’s practice is key for counselors seeing clients in many countries around the world. For Sri Lankan government counselors introduced into cadre positions by the Mental Health Policy of 2005-2015, however, this was not the case. In 2015, through a collaboration of The Asia Foundation and government ministries, peer support was intr… Read more

This publication compiles a summary of literature focusing on psychosocial support available for first responders, it also specifically looks at psychosocial support available for female first responders within Low and Middle Income Countries. As an area that has received very limited attention in the past, we hope that this publication will provid… Read more

This publication outlines a curriculum developed for the nursing cadre of Sri Lanka on MHPSS service delivery. The content is based on a 2017 mapping study done on the training needs of the nurses. Module 1 of the curriculum provides an introduction to mental health nursing using the mode of history-taking and mental status examination, the first m… Read more

This toolkit is a set of guidelines that can be used to engage people in storytelling in a psychosocially sensitive manner. It was designed by The Asia Foundation for its Promoting Shared Values, Shared Spaces and Building Local Capacities for Dispute Resolution program, the goal of which is to empower and engage marginalized populations, young peo… Read more

The year 2005 marked a significant milestone for The Asia Foundation with the integration of a psychosocial approach to its development work, particularly in relation to the Reducing the Effects and Incidences of Trauma project and the Victims of Trauma Treatment Program. The Asia Foundation has found that psychosocial approaches to healing and imp… Read more

Presidential elections in January 2015 and parliamentary elections the following August promised sweeping changes to Sri Lanka’s political landscape and brought new hopes for reconciliation, restoration, and healing after the 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009. The new government, with its stated commitment to postconflict reconciliation, has h… Read more

The Asia Foundation has adopted a psychosocial approach to its development work since 2005, particularly in relation to the Reducing the Effects and Incidences of Trauma project and the Victims of Trauma Treatment Program. The Foundation has found that psychosocial approaches to healing and improving well-being are effective in strengthening existi… Read more

This publication reflects on the process of developing a clinical assessment tool to measure counseling services with a focus to improve the quality of the services provided by the Ministry of Social Empowerment and Welfare (MSEW). This is a continuation of a process the Foundation initiated in 2005 with its non-governmental partners. The same effo… Read more

This publication, Transitions in MHPSS Services in Sri Lanka 2004 – 2015: A Decade in Review, looks at the growth and transitions of the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) sector in Sri Lanka over the period of a decade to better understand what aspects have acted as enablers and what factors have been challenges to the development and… Read more

This publication documents a study that mapped the capacity and work of counseling assistants attached to the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. It documents the role and scope of the counselors; their training needs as well as client difficulties. This mapping study acted as the step… Read more

The purpose of the book is similar to the objectives of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, namely the development of the knowledge base of primary care mental health staff and the development of their ability to use this knowledge in day-to-day practice. This book is meant to be used as an accompaniment to training and workshops… Read more

This publication documents a study that mapped the capacity and work of counseling assistants attached to the Ministry of Social Services and Child Development & Women’s Affairs, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. It documents the role and scope of the counselors; their training needs as well as client difficulties. This mapping s… Read more

This book is the result of a collaborative effort between the College of Psychiatrists, The Asia Foundation, Voluntary Services Overseas- Sri Lanka, and the World Health Organization, endorsed by the Ministry of Health. This is to be part of a resource pack made available to the participants of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Psych… Read more

This is a process publication that details the steps taken to develop the client intake form for the Family Rehabilitation Centre and Shanthiham. It walks through the need for a localized client assessment tool, the psychosocial well-being analysis, and the partnership established with Dr. Jon Hubbard from the Center for Victims of Torture in Minne… Read more