Mental health and psychosocial support is fast becoming a major part of humanitarian responses. People affected by crises, conflicts and disasters can experience a range of mental health issues and humanitarian actors are focusing more on running projects to address these needs.
There are several online courses now available covering mental health within humanitarian contexts. Some focus on how direct mental health support can be given to crises affected people, others look at mental health in broader public health terms. These courses are ideal for humanitarian workers wanting to gain a better understanding of mental health and psychosocial support. They are also great for those wanting to enter the humanitarian sector with focus on mental health programming.
Psychological First Aid – John Hopkins University
Flexible Deadlines
Shareable Certificate
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Beginner Level
Approx. 6 Hours to Complete
John Hopkins University offers an online short course in psychology first aid. The course teaches students how to deploy psychological first aid in emergency settings. Students learn the standard model for psychology first aid, including reflective listening, assessments of need, prioritisation, intervention and disposition. The course is aimed as a broad introduction to the foundations of psychological first aid.
The psychological first aid course offered online by John Hopkins University is broken down into four modules, each covering one area of the psychological first aid model. This course aims to prepare students to use psychological first aid in the field by providing them with an understanding of the key concepts. As well as teaching students how to help others, the course also covers self-care for those working in potentially traumatic settings.
This course is taken entirely online, and students complete the course at their own pace. The course takes around seven hours to complete. The John Hopkins psychological first aid course is taught in English, but has subtitles in Arabic, French, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, English, and Spanish. Upon completion of the course students receive a shareable certificate.
The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness – University of Toronto
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Shareable Certificate
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Beginner Level
Approx. 14 Hours to Complete
The University of Toronto offers an online course on the social context mental health and illness. Students on the course explore the history of mental health and societies understanding of mental conditions. They also look at how mental illnesses have been diagnosed and treated. The course looks at how societal views have shaped our understanding and treatments of mental conditions.
This course is divided into four modules. These explore a brief history of mental illness, an overview of what mental health is and the causes of mental illness, the social context of diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, and culture and its relation to mental health. The University of Toronto online course on the social context of mental health and illness is designed as a basic introduction to the concepts of how societies have viewed mental health.
The online course Context Mental Health and Illness offered by the University of Toronto can be started at any time. Students complete the course at their own pace. The course takes approximately 14 hours to complete. It is in English and has subtitled in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, and Spanish. Students who finish the course receive a shareable online certificate.
Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach – John Hopkins University
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Shareable Certificate
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Beginner Level
Approx. 11 Hours to Complete
John Hopkins University has an online course called Major Depression In The Population: A Public Health Approach. The course explores how public health approaches can be applied to populations to promote their mental health. Students on the online course gain a broad understanding of how the principles of public health and mental illness can be applied to depressive disorders, as well as the complexities and challenges of applying public health approaches to mental conditions.
The Major Depression In The Population: A Public Health Approach online course offered by John Hopkins University is broken down into six modules. These include an overview of the course’s basic concepts, an introduction to major depression and why it is important, depression in low- and middle-income countries, the basic concepts of epidemiology as applied to depression, a look into the possible causes of depressive disorders in a population, and a final assessment.
This online course can be taken at any time and students’ study independently. The course is aimed at beginners and limited prior knowledge of the topic is needed. The course takes around 11 hours to complete. It is in English, with subtitles available in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, and Spanish. Students who complete the course receive a certificate.
Psychological First Aid For Children – Save the Children
Self-Directed Study
Shareable Certificate
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Intermediate Level
Save the Children is one of the leading humanitarian organisations globally working to help children affected by crises, conflicts, disasters, and poverty. Available online through the Humanitarian Leadership Academy – Save the Children have an online course on psychological first aid for children. The course aims to teach students how to reassure, support and comfort children who have experienced traumatic events.
This online course provides students with the knowledge needed to give psychological first aid to children and families. Students learn how to respond to children who have experienced trauma, as well as how different responses are needed according to a child’s age and stage of development. The course also teaches students how to identify children who may be in need of support.
The Save the Children online course on psychological first aid for children is aimed at humanitarian professionals who work closely with children and families. The course takes around one hour to complete. This course is in English. The course format is interactive, and the course is spread across six topic areas. Students who complete the course receive a certificate.
Public Health in Humanitarian Crises – John Hopkins University
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Shareable Certificate
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Beginner Level
Approx. 16 Hours to Complete
John Hopkins University offers a series of online courses focusing on public health in humanitarian crises. This second half of the course includes a section focusing on mental health and psychosocial support. Students on the course explore the public health challenges that arise when healthcare systems are hit by disasters, conflicts, and crises. The course includes sections on how people’s mental health is affected by crises and what support can be provided.
This second half of the John Hopkins online course on public health in humanitarian crises is made up of ten modules. The tenth module focuses specifically on mental health. This module introduces students to strategies that can help them identify psychological and mental health issues in displaced people as well as gives a broad overview of the types of mental health projects that humanitarian actors can run.
The entire second part of the John Hopkins online course on public health in humanitarian crises takes around twelve hours to complete. The course is self-directed and students’ study in their own time. The course is aimed at those with little or limited knowledge of public health and humanitarian response. The course is in English, but subtitles are available in French, Portuguese, Russian, English, and Spanish. A certificate is issued upon completion of the course.
Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – Emory University
Flexible Deadlines
Shareable Certificate
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Intermediate Level
Approx. 8 Hours to Complete
Emory University has an online course covering health in complex humanitarian emergencies. The course aims to provide students a broad overview of how the health needs of crises affected populations can be met by humanitarian actors. This includes provisions for mental health issues. The course is ideal for those wanting to understand the role of mental health in humanitarian crises within a broader health response framework.
The Emory University course Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies is broken down into four modules. The first is an overview of refugees and displaced people and their health needs, as well as an introduction to the concept of complex humanitarian crises. The second module focuses specifically on healthcare in humanitarian emergencies. The third module is on disease control, and fourth focuses on project design.
This online course is self-directed, and students complete the course independently. The course is aimed at intermediate level students and some basic knowledge of public health and/or humanitarian response may be needed. The course takes around eight hours to complete. The language of the course is English, with subtitles available in French, Portuguese, Russian, English, and Spanish. Students who finish the course receive a certificate.