Psychosocial Support Course

Lesson 1 • Defining Conflict in Humanitarian Contexts

Examines armed conflict, civil unrest, and displacement as distinct phenomena with overlapping effects. Establishes shared vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Psychosocial Effects on Affected Populations

Maps psychological and social consequences of conflict exposure across individuals and communities. Grounds later intervention design in evidence-based impact data.

Lesson 3 • Resilience and Protective Factors

Introduces resilience theory and the social, cultural, and individual factors that buffer conflict stress. Shifts the intervention lens from deficit to strengths-based approaches.

Lesson 4 • Vulnerable Groups and Differential Impact

Identifies children, elderly, displaced persons, and marginalised groups as facing heightened risk. Prepares practitioners to tailor assessments to specific population needs.

Lesson 1 • Selecting Models for Operational Contexts

Provides decision criteria for matching frameworks to acute, protracted, or post-conflict phases. Synthesises the chapter into a practical model-selection process.

Lesson 2 • The Intervention Pyramid Model

Explains the layered pyramid from basic services to specialised care as a resource-allocation guide. Connects population size to intervention intensity at each tier.

Lesson 3 • Cultural Adaptation of Global Frameworks

Addresses how universal models must be modified for local belief systems, languages, and social norms. Prevents cultural mismatch that undermines intervention effectiveness.

Lesson 4 • Rights-Based and Dignity-Centered Approaches

Frames psychosocial support as a human right rather than a charitable service. Aligns intervention goals with international humanitarian and human rights standards.

Lesson 1 • PFA with Specific Populations

Adapts PFA techniques for children, bereaved individuals, and survivors of violence. Applies the vulnerability knowledge from Chapter 1 to concrete PFA modifications.

Lesson 2 • Documenting and Evaluating PFA Delivery

Introduces field documentation standards and quality indicators for PFA encounters. Connects individual encounters to programme-level monitoring and accountability.

Lesson 3 • Preparing for PFA Deployment

Covers pre-deployment self-readiness, situational awareness, and coordination with security and logistics teams. Ensures practitioners arrive prepared rather than reactive.

Lesson 4 • Conducting a PFA Encounter

Walks through the structured sequence: approach, assess, assist, and refer. Builds procedural fluency through step-by-step skill breakdown.

Lesson 1 • Rapid Assessment in Acute Conflict

Presents streamlined rapid assessment protocols for use when time and access are severely limited. Balances speed with sufficient rigour to inform immediate response decisions.

Lesson 2 • Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment Tools

Compares structured surveys, validated screening tools, and qualitative methods for psychosocial data. Equips practitioners to select tools appropriate to context and capacity.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Humanitarian Needs Assessment

Establishes impartiality, participation, and triangulation as core assessment principles. Prevents common biases that distort data and misallocate resources.

Lesson 4 • Integrating Assessment into Program Design

Links assessment outputs directly to intervention objectives, indicators, and activity plans. Closes the loop between evidence gathering and programme implementation.

Lesson 1 • Narrative and Expressive Techniques

Introduces testimony, storytelling, art, and movement as non-verbal psychosocial tools. Expands the practitioner's toolkit for populations where verbal expression is limited.

Lesson 2 • Active Listening and Supportive Communication

Develops core communication skills: reflective listening, open questioning, and empathic validation. These skills underpin every individual and group technique in the chapter.

Lesson 3 • Psychoeducation Delivery Methods

Covers design and delivery of psychoeducation sessions on trauma reactions, grief, and coping. Equips practitioners to normalise distress and reduce stigma at scale.

Lesson 4 • Stress Management and Grounding Techniques

Teaches breathing regulation, grounding exercises, and progressive relaxation for acute stress reduction. Provides scripts and adaptations for low-literacy and cross-cultural contexts.

Lesson 1 • Livelihoods and Psychosocial Wellbeing

Explores the bidirectional link between economic stability and mental health in conflict-affected populations. Guides integration of livelihood components into psychosocial programmes.

Lesson 2 • Social Cohesion and Community Healing

Presents dialogue, memorialisation, and collective ritual as tools for rebuilding fractured community bonds. Addresses inter-group conflict as a psychosocial barrier to recovery.

Lesson 3 • Safe Spaces and Child-Friendly Spaces

Covers the design, staffing, and programming of safe spaces for women and children in conflict settings. Applies protection and psychosocial principles to physical environment planning.

Lesson 4 • Principles of Community-Based Support

Defines community ownership, sustainability, and local capacity as the pillars of effective community-based programmes. Distinguishes community-based from clinic-based approaches.

Lesson 1 • Identifying Cases Requiring Referral

Establishes clinical and functional thresholds that trigger referral beyond psychosocial support. Prevents under-referral of severe cases and over-medicalisation of normal distress.

Lesson 2 • Referral Communication and Handover

Covers warm referral techniques, referral letters, and follow-up protocols that ensure continuity of care. Addresses confidentiality and consent requirements during information transfer.

Lesson 3 • Data Management and Case Confidentiality

Establishes secure data storage, access controls, and anonymisation standards for case records. Balances accountability requirements with the protection of sensitive personal information.

Lesson 4 • Case Management Principles and Process

Introduces intake, assessment, planning, implementation, and closure as the case management cycle. Applies to complex cases requiring coordination across multiple service providers.

Lesson 1 • Quality Standards and Accountability Mechanisms

Introduces sector-wide quality standards, complaint mechanisms, and beneficiary feedback systems. Embeds accountability to affected populations into routine programme management.

Lesson 2 • Designing Psychosocial Programs

Applies logical framework and theory-of-change tools to psychosocial programme design. Connects assessment findings from Chapter 4 to measurable programme objectives and activities.

Lesson 3 • Supervision and Staff Support Models

Presents individual, group, and peer supervision models appropriate for field-based psychosocial teams. Addresses secondary traumatic stress as a supervision priority.

Lesson 4 • Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks

Builds indicator sets, data collection plans, and review cycles for psychosocial programmes. Distinguishes process, output, outcome, and impact indicators with practical examples.