Delivery of essential and much needed mental healthcare, using community-based resources
By The Syrian American Medical Society
Ten years into the Syrian Civil War, the mental health needs of children ages 5-18 across Syria are immense. There is a veritable shortage of available mental health professionals to address these needs, leaving children without access to care. Leveraging community-based resources by training and supervising Syrian women to deliver needed mental healthcare would increase access to care amongst vulnerable children.
The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) proposes leveraging community-based resources by training and supervising Syrian women to deliver essential and much needed mental healthcare to increase access to care amongst vulnerable children. This innovation leverages existing community resources and ensures better access to care for this underserved and vulnerable group, so that children in Syria will gain access to mental health care and experience a reduction in their symptoms; communities across Syria will receive treatment that can be individualized to their needs; and women from the community who will be counsellors will gain technical skills, financial security and become empowered to play an active role in directly alleviating the mental health symptoms of members of their community.
