This Global Mental Health symposium is a joint effort by Equator Foundation, War Trauma Foundation and Centrum ’45, partners in Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group, and is marked by the departure of Pim Scholte, founder of Equator Foundation, and the 20th anniversary of War Trauma Foundation. 

Trauma-related and other mental health and psychosocial problems are highly prevalent in war-affected populations. The ongoing large influx of refugees into European countries poses a problem not familiar for the western world, namely a relative  lack of available professionals to provide the care needed. One solution seems to be the application of working methods used in Global Mental Health care provision, particularly in low-income and under-resourced countries. In this symposium we will discuss principles and innovative approaches in Global Mental Health, and the applicability of these in Europe and the Netherlands in particular.

Target group
The symposium is meant for mental health care providers and policy makers, academics, and humanitarian workers affiliated with (I)NGOs.

The morning session will be plenary, with keynote addresses by three international experts highlighting current visions and practices in Global Mental Health. The afternoon session will host an international track geared towards humanitarian work in a global context, and a track geared towards psychological and psychosocial support for refugees in the Netherlands.