Placing mental health and psychosocial support at the heart of the humanitarian agenda

With the global mental health crisis affecting one in four people – and nearly everyone within communities impacted by crisis including conflict and disasters – the need for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is more urgent than ever.

In this episode, Ka Man Parkinson holds a candid conversation with Marie Dahl and Dr Victor Ugo from The MHPSS Collaborative. Marie and Victor share honest reflections on the challenges they face with their work, while passionately setting out their vision to enhance the mental wellbeing of children, youth, and families in adverse settings.

This insightful dialogue delves into key themes such as localisation, youth engagement, the language of mental health, and the pursuit of a shared understanding of MHPSS for improved cooperation and collaboration. Hear more about Marie and Victor’s aspirations to move towards a preventative approach to mental health support and to embed MHPSS into preparedness planning.

Whether you’re a practitioner or simply interested in this essential field, tune in for valuable expert insights from Marie and Victor!

About the speakers

Marie Dahl is the Director of The MHPSS Collaborative - for children, youth and families in adversity. The Collaborative is a global hub for mental health and psychosocial support research, innovation, learning and advocacy, founded by Save the Children Denmark in 2018. Marie has 15 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, and has worked in emergency response, interagency coordination, capacity building, advocacy, leadership and strategy development in various parts of the world. Her driving force is children and youths' rights to protection, education, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. She is based in Malmö, Sweden.

Dr Victor Ugo is the MHPSS and Youth Advisor at the MHPSS Collaborative, where his current focus is on building infrastructures for meaningful youth engagement and participation in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) initiatives.  He has extensive experience in advocacy, policy influence, and resource mobilization for adolescent and youth mental health programs at community, regional and global levels. Victor is passionate about driving systemic change to improve the lives of children, adolescents, and youth globally, with a particular focus on facilitating their capacity to develop innovative solutions and lead work relevant to their needs.

Ka Man Parkinson is Communications and Marketing Advisor at the HLA. 

Read more including the episode transcript on our Resources Hub:
www.humanitarianleadershipacademy.org/resources/placing-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-at-the-heart-of-the-humanitarian-agenda/

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The views and opinions expressed in our podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of their organisations.