How Task-Sharing Interventions are Transforming Mental Healthcare

Mental health issues are among the leading drivers of disability and mortality throughout the world. Despite significant advances in the understanding of mental health issues and the development of novel interventions, significant barriers to care exist throughout much of the world in which those in need of support are unable to access care. This talk will focus on movements in the field of mental health to bridge gaps in care through the use of scalable mental health interventions. In particular, the concept of task-sharing will be discussed in which non-mental health specialists contribute to the implementation of mental health and psychosocial interventions. Furthermore, we will discuss new approaches to identifying competencies in scalable interventions and current research taking place throughout the world. Taken together, these approaches provide a critical step in providing more equitable and accessible care.

Adam Brown is Associate Professor of Psychology at The New School for Social Reserach and Vice Provost for Research at The New School. He has extensive experience developing programs to promote mental health awareness, providing trainings, technical guidance, and support in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of scalable, evidence-based, culturally responsive mental health strategies that can delivered in a wide range of contexts by non-specialists. Head of the Trauma and Global Mental Health Lab and the Global Mental Health graduate minor, Dr. Brown focuses his research on the adaptation of mental health and psychosocial interventions that can be delivered globally by non-mental health professionals, and works closely with cross-sector partners to carry out this work. Additionally, he has extensive experience in the study of traumatic stress and the identification of factors that contribute to mental health risks and resilience. Dr. Brown is a co-founder and member of the Human Rights Resilience Project, an interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners carrying out research and creating tools to improve resilience and well-being in the human rights community.

This seminar will take place in a hybrid format. Room 113, 32 Old Elvet (Main Sociology Department building). Online meeting information will be sent out one day prior to the seminar taking place. Please check spam/junk folders.