Development french agency

mental health day event

On 10 October 2023 for World Mental Health Day, the  Development french agency organised a meeting on the theme of “How can mental health be better integrated into development projects and policies?
 
After an introduction by Nicolas Le Guen, AFD’s Head of Partnerships with Civil Society Organisations, and then by myself, the event provided an opportunity to listen to 15 speakers from the worlds of institutions, research, civil society and international organisations, on the various themes of the round tables :
 
  • Beyond crises: adopting a cross-disciplinary approach to mental health : Virginie Lefèvre (Amel), Laurent Kasindi (Search for Common Ground), Véronique Petit (IRD);
  • Adapting mental health responses to the specific needs of different target groups: Nawel Boumediene and Rhoda Kambamba (Pierre Fabre Foundation), Laetitia Clouin (Action against hunger), Violaine Gagnet (Plan International), Anne-Cécile Violland (National French assembly);
  • Disseminating a mental health culture in developing countries : Bénédicte Goudet (Bluemind Foundation), Aurelie Gal-Regniez (Equipop), Soundio Idrissa Coulibaly (Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion);
  • Integrating mental health more fully into public policies for the complete well-being of populations: Rabih Chammay (MHNP Lebanon), Viviane Kovess-Masfety (Columbia University), Jean Luc Roelandt (EPSM Lille-Métropole), Ida Andersen (International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC).
 
Agnes Soucat, Head of AFD’s Health and Social Protection Division, brought the meeting to a close.
 
The debates were moderated by Caroline Lachowsky, journalist at Radio France Internationale and producer of the scientific programme “Around the question”.
AFD entrusted me with the task of helping to organise this meeting and providing input for the discussions, and I was pleased to give the introductory and concluding remarks.
 
Throughout the presentations and discussions, mental health appeared more than ever to be :
  • a cross-cutting issue, permeating people’s lives in all their different spheres,
  • a theme that transcends its primary focus, through the bidirectional link between poverty and poor mental health, but also by being a factor in social cohesion and peacekeeping,
  • a practice that is easily accessible as long as the will, particularly the political will, is there.
The debates also highlighted the need for mental health programmes to be implemented :
  • based on a holistic approach to people’s needs
  • prevention, not just cure,
  • which should be integrated with primary health care.
Among the comments made, and because a choice has to be made :), we would highlight :
  • “We had prepared the social, but we hadn’t prepared the invisible” (Laurent Kasindi)
  • “Women’s mental health requires the deconstruction of gender stereotypes” (Anne-Cécile Violland)
  • “Youth, poverty and mental health form an inseparable triangle” (Virginie Lefevre) .
  • “There can be no good health without mental health” (Ida Andersen).
I was able to benefit from the invaluable support of Sarah Botton, Head of CSO Projects at AFD, for her help in organising this meeting, and of Magali Marrannes, whose indispensable work on technical platfrom ensured connections with Bangui, Beirut, Freetown and Liège.

The replay and resources are available on the event page of the AFD website.
Back to news page

Development french agency mental health day event

On 10 October 2023 for World Mental Health Day, the  Development french agency organised a meeting on the theme of “How can mental health be better integrated into development projects and policies?
 
After an introduction by Nicolas Le Guen, AFD’s Head of Partnerships with Civil Society Organisations, and then by myself, the event provided an opportunity to listen to 15 speakers from the worlds of institutions, research, civil society and international organisations, on the various themes of the round tables :
 
  • Beyond crises: adopting a cross-disciplinary approach to mental health : Virginie Lefèvre (Amel), Laurent Kasindi (Search for Common Ground), Véronique Petit (IRD);
  • Adapting mental health responses to the specific needs of different target groups: Nawel Boumediene and Rhoda Kambamba (Pierre Fabre Foundation), Laetitia Clouin (Action against hunger), Violaine Gagnet (Plan International), Anne-Cécile Violland (National French assembly);
  • Disseminating a mental health culture in developing countries : Bénédicte Goudet (Bluemind Foundation), Aurelie Gal-Regniez (Equipop), Soundio Idrissa Coulibaly (Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion);
  • Integrating mental health more fully into public policies for the complete well-being of populations: Rabih Chammay (MHNP Lebanon), Viviane Kovess-Masfety (Columbia University), Jean Luc Roelandt (EPSM Lille-Métropole – GHT Psy NPdC), Ida Andersen (International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC).
 
Agnes Soucat, Head of AFD’s Health and Social Protection Division, brought the meeting to a close.
 
The debates were moderated by Caroline Lachowsky, journalist at Radio France Internationale and producer of the scientific programme “Around the question”.
AFD entrusted me with the task of helping to organise this meeting and providing input for the discussions, and I was pleased to give the introductory and concluding remarks.
 
Throughout the presentations and discussions, mental health appeared more than ever to be :
  • a cross-cutting issue, permeating people’s lives in all their different spheres,
  • a theme that transcends its primary focus, through the bidirectional link between poverty and poor mental health, but also by being a factor in social cohesion and peacekeeping,
  • a practice that is easily accessible as long as the will, particularly the political will, is there.
The debates also highlighted the need for mental health programmes to be implemented :
  • based on a holistic approach to people’s needs
  • prevention, not just cure,
  • which should be integrated with primary health care.
Among the comments made, and because a choice has to be made :), we would highlight :
  • “We had prepared the social, but we hadn’t prepared the invisible” (Laurent Kasindi)
  • “Women’s mental health requires the deconstruction of gender stereotypes” (Anne-Cécile Violland)
  • “Youth, poverty and mental health form an inseparable triangle” (Virginie Lefevre) .
  • “There can be no good health without mental health” (Ida Andersen).
I was able to benefit from the invaluable support of Sarah Botton, Head of CSO Projects at AFD, for her help in organising this meeting, and of Magali Marrannes, whose indispensable work on technical platfrom ensured connections with Bangui, Beirut, Freetown and Liège.

The replay and resources are available on the event page of the AFD website.
Back to news page

Mental health and stress management

on day to day and crisis situations training

How can we detect situations of physical, psychological and emotional fatigue or distress among international volunteers during their expatriation or among team members during their assignments? How do you adopt the right dialogue to respond to the various problems?
In the event of an external crisis (e.g. an explosion Beirut’s port, a rebellion, etc.), what attitude should we adopt and what information should we request or pass on without increasing the stress of the person on the spot?
In the two cases mentioned above, what attitudes and behaviours should be put in place to avoid being emotionally overloaded?

These were the terms of the training course that the Government of Monaco’s International Cooperation  Department (ICD) asked me to design and run for the team in charge of monitoring Monaco’s International Volunteers and the H24 hotline.

Over the course of 2 and a half days, the following topics have been covered:
    • the different approaches to stress;
    • the signals that indicate different stress situations, including the suicidal dimension;
    • the different types of response that can be made, both externally (active listening) and internally (physical, cognitive and emotional responses);
    • potentially traumatic events, risk factors and protective factors;
    • stress states, their symptoms, the different neurological and emotional mechanisms, and post-traumatic stress;
    • attitudes to acute stress and post-immediate management;
    • the different methods of self-protection.

For each section, situational scenarios and role-playing exercises were used to help the trainees better grasp the material.

The success of this training course was largely due to the human qualities and involvement of the ICD team, whom I would like to thank sincerely for their trust and for the quality of our relationship, both during the training course and in our work in general.

Back to news page

Mental health and stress management on day to day and crisis situations training

How can we detect situations of physical, psychological and emotional fatigue or distress among international volunteers during their expatriation or among team members during their assignments? How do you adopt the right dialogue to respond to the various problems?
In the event of an external crisis (e.g. an explosion Beirut’s port, a rebellion, etc.), what attitude should we adopt and what information should we request or pass on without increasing the stress of the person on the spot?
In the two cases mentioned above, what attitudes and behaviours should be put in place to avoid being emotionally overloaded?

These were the terms of the training course that the Government of Monaco’s International Cooperation  Department (ICD) asked me to design and run for the team in charge of monitoring Monaco’s International Volunteers and the H24 hotline.

Over the course of 2 and a half days, the following topics have been covered:
    • the different approaches to stress;
    • the signals that indicate different stress situations, including the suicidal dimension;
    • the different types of response that can be made, both externally (active listening) and internally (physical, cognitive and emotional responses);
    • potentially traumatic events, risk factors and protective factors;
    • stress states, their symptoms, the different neurological and emotional mechanisms, and post-traumatic stress;
    • attitudes to acute stress and post-immediate management;
    • the different methods of self-protection.

For each section, situational scenarios and role-playing exercises were used to help the trainees better grasp the material.

The success of this training course was largely due to the human qualities and involvement of the ICD team, whom I would like to thank sincerely for their trust and for the quality of our relationship, both during the training course and in our work in general.

Back to news page

2nd strategic seminar

and trip to Ukraine

for the Fondation de France's Ukraine Solidarity Committee

An active summer for the Fondation de France’s Ukraine Solidarity Committee, with

  • the 2nd strategic seminar in June in the western suburbs of Paris;
  • a trip to Ukraine in July, for a 2-day workshop in Oujgorod with the partners behind the projects supported, followed by a visit to projects run by local structures in various parts of Transcarpathia.

The seminar provided an opportunity to put the Committee’s strategy in the face of the evolving crisis in Ukraine into perspective, taking into account the various parameters of an ongoing conflict, dwindling resources, the ever-increasing needs of the population and the need to support local players over the long term.
 
The Oujgorod workshop provided an opportunity to meet a civil society that feels strong and optimistic. The post-Maidan thirties people, most of whom are well educated, say they have learnt over the last ten years how to manage crises, while being aware of the shifting security context and the prospect of a general mobilisation.

In addition to the energy displayed, psychological fatigue is a reality, whether as a result of the action carried out over the course of the year, the uncertainty of each moment for partners who had come from Kiev or Lviv, or concern for a family member on the front line.
 
It emerged from the various discussions, with resource persons during the seminar and with participants during the workshop, that mental health is a cross-cutting issue, with a significant need in all areas. In response, several actions need to be pursued or considered:

  • Development of psycho-education, to enable people to understand their symptoms and give them the means to regulate them and live with them as much as possible;
  • A psychosocial approach, aimed at a co-constructed approach to care that combines psychological aspects and social factors;
  • Training practitioners in psycho-trauma and EMDR;
  • Setting up mental health projects aimed at CSO teams;
  • Supporting networking between psychologists and enabling the development of a network through a practice analysis group.
Back to news page

2nd strategic seminar and trip to Ukraine for the Fondation de France's Ukraine Solidarity Committee

An active summer for the Fondation de France’s Ukraine Solidarity Committee, with

  • the 2nd strategic seminar in June in the western suburbs of Paris;
  • a trip to Ukraine in July, for a 2-day workshop in Oujgorod with the partners behind the projects supported, followed by a visit to projects run by local structures in various parts of Transcarpathia.

The seminar provided an opportunity to put the Committee’s strategy in the face of the evolving crisis in Ukraine into perspective, taking into account the various parameters of an ongoing conflict, dwindling resources, the ever-increasing needs of the population and the need to support local players over the long term.
 
The Oujgorod workshop provided an opportunity to meet a civil society that feels strong and optimistic. The post-Maidan thirties people, most of whom are well educated, say they have learnt over the last ten years how to manage crises, while being aware of the shifting security context and the prospect of a general mobilisation.

In addition to the energy displayed, psychological fatigue is a reality, whether as a result of the action carried out over the course of the year, the uncertainty of each moment for partners who had come from Kiev or Lviv, or concern for a family member on the front line.
 
It emerged from the various discussions, with resource persons during the seminar and with participants during the workshop, that mental health is a cross-cutting issue, with a significant need in all areas. In response, several actions need to be pursued or considered:

  • Development of psycho-education, to enable people to understand their symptoms and give them the means to regulate them and live with them as much as possible;
  • A psychosocial approach, aimed at a co-constructed approach to care that combines psychological aspects and social factors;
  • Training practitioners in psycho-trauma and EMDR;
  • Setting up mental health projects aimed at CSO teams;
  • Supporting networking between psychologists and enabling the development of a network through a practice analysis group.
Back to news page

Mental Health First Aid training on 5 & 6 January 2023

If I say first-aider, who comes to mind? Probably firefighters, sea and mountain rescuers, paramedics, natural disaster responders, and many others.

And for the mind, who comes to mind? If you can’t see, then it could be you.

Because when faced with a relative, friend or colleague, one sentence can make a difference, can save a life. Reaching out with simple words like “I’m worried about you. I’m here if you want to talk about it” can open a door, rekindle trust, recreate a bond, and get someone to talk about the source of their malaise and the ideas, sometimes very dark, that this has created within them. However, when faced with situations in which they perceive the other person to be unwell, people are often at a loss and at best don’t know how to deal with it, or at worst think it’s better to leave the other person ‘alone’. So it’s important to learn to take this step, to dare to approach the other person, to dare to talk about potential suicidal thoughts.

For this, the training FIRST AID IN MENTAL HEALTH FRANCE (PSSM FRANCE) allows in 2 days to address the main manifestations of mental suffering by giving an etiological and psychopathological reading, to receive tools to face them and to practice situations.

I can only recommend this training.
Perhaps you are wondering what motivates a psychologist to take mainstream training? There are not 1 but 4:
. technical knowledge deployed in the long time and a dedicated framework is not a daily skill implemented in the snapshot and informal places,
. MHFA is based on a protocol that allows for a structured approach to benefit the individual,
. To become a First Aid Health Trainer, you must have completed this first level, and finally
. Never lose a good opportunity for meaningful mental health training!

And to convince you, if necessary, of the interest of this citizen training that helps to destigmatization, we had the honors of France Info and yours truly to be, for a report that summarizes and perfectly embodies the content of these 2 days (link to France Info report).

Back to news page

Mental Health First Aid training on 5 & 6 January 2023

If I say first-aider, who comes to mind? Probably firefighters, sea and mountain rescuers, paramedics, natural disaster responders, and many others.

And for the mind, who comes to mind? If you can’t see, then it could be you.

Because when faced with a relative, friend or colleague, one sentence can make a difference, can save a life. Reaching out with simple words like “I’m worried about you. I’m here if you want to talk about it” can open a door, rekindle trust, recreate a bond, and get someone to talk about the source of their malaise and the ideas, sometimes very dark, that this has created within them. However, when faced with situations in which they perceive the other person to be unwell, people are often at a loss and at best don’t know how to deal with it, or at worst think it’s better to leave the other person ‘alone’. So it’s important to learn to take this step, to dare to approach the other person, to dare to talk about potential suicidal thoughts.

For this, the training FIRST AID IN MENTAL HEALTH FRANCE (PSSM FRANCE) allows in 2 days to address the main manifestations of mental suffering by giving an etiological and psychopathological reading, to receive tools to face them and to practice situations.

I can only recommend this training.
Perhaps you are wondering what motivates a psychologist to take mainstream training? There are not 1 but 4:
. technical knowledge deployed in the long time and a dedicated framework is not a daily skill implemented in the snapshot and informal places,
. MHFA is based on a protocol that allows for a structured approach to benefit the individual,
. To become a First Aid Health Trainer, you must have completed this first level, and finally
. Never lose a good opportunity for meaningful mental health training!

And to convince you, if necessary, of the interest of this citizen training that helps to destigmatization, we had the honors of France Info and yours truly to be, for a report that summarizes and perfectly embodies the content of these 2 days (link to France Info report).

Back to news page

Participation in the conference "Reopening Transcarpathy" in Ukraine

November 11 and 12, 2022

After a poignant opening by Oleksandra Matviychuk, whose NGO Centre for Civil Liberties received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, the Re:open Zakarpattia (“Reopening Transcarpathy”) conference, held in mid-November near Oujgorod, addressed major themes for this western region of Ukraine: reception of IDPs, wartime economy, reconstruction solutions, role in the construction of a future Central Europe.

During a session on mental health and psychosocial support, facilitated by Nataliya Kabatsii, Director of the Medical Aid Committee, I was able to present community mental health solutions and the importance of not stigmatizing or leaving someone out of psychological care.
An informal roundtable, held on the sidelines of the conference with organizers and stakeholders (psychiatrist, academic..), laid the foundations for a future conference specifically dedicated to the development of mental health and psychosocial support in Transcarpathy and Ukraine, a particularly stimulating project !

Back to news page

Participation in the conference "Reopening Transcarpathy" in Ukraine on November 11 and 12, 2022

After a poignant opening by Oleksandra Matviychuk, whose NGO Centre for Civil Liberties received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, the Re:open Zakarpattia (“Reopening Transcarpathy”) conference, held in mid-November near Oujgorod, addressed major themes for this western region of Ukraine: reception of IDPs, wartime economy, reconstruction solutions, role in the construction of a future Central Europe.

During a session on mental health and psychosocial support, facilitated by Nataliya Kabatsii, Director of the Medical Aid Committee, I was able to present community mental health solutions and the importance of not stigmatizing or leaving someone out of psychological care.
An informal roundtable, held on the sidelines of the conference with organizers and stakeholders (psychiatrist, academic..), laid the foundations for a future conference specifically dedicated to the development of mental health and psychosocial support in Transcarpathy and Ukraine, a particularly stimulating project !

Back to news page

First strategic seminar of the Ukraine Solidarity Committee of the Fondation de France on 16 and 17 September 2022

As it did after the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, or after the explosion at the port of Beirut, the Fondation de France (FdF) launched a call for donations for the crisis in Ukraine, and has raised 17 million euros to date. These funds are allocated to projects after analysis of applications by a committee composed of volunteers and specially constituted.

This seminar thus made it possible to dialogue with resource persons who are on the front line on crisis management in Ukraine and Poland; to deal, among others, possible issues and options for the accommodation of displaced persons and refugees for the winter or the main human rights violations in the region and priorities to be addressed; and to continue reflection on the best possible allocation of funds.

A session on mental health, which I facilitated with the support of colleagues on the committee, opened up avenues for better management of this central topic in view of the superposition and complexity of trauma suffered.

On arrival, stimulating debates, an even more united collective, and keys to make our response ever closer to needs, all at La Maison Montreau in Montreuil, a third place as we like them, between welcoming team, pleasant rooms and dishes prepared by Baluchon, social enterprise approved insertion company: a good address for your seminars in the east of Paris!

Back to news page

First strategic seminar of the Ukraine Solidarity Committee of the Fondation de France on 16 and 17 September 2022

As it did after the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, or after the explosion at the port of Beirut, the Fondation de France (FdF) launched a call for donations for the crisis in Ukraine, and has raised 17 million euros to date. These funds are allocated to projects after analysis of applications by a committee composed of volunteers and specially constituted.

This seminar thus made it possible to dialogue with resource persons who are on the front line on crisis management in Ukraine and Poland; to deal, among others, possible issues and options for the accommodation of displaced persons and refugees for the winter or the main human rights violations in the region and priorities to be addressed; and to continue reflection on the best possible allocation of funds.

A session on mental health, which I facilitated with the support of colleagues on the committee, opened up avenues for better management of this central topic in view of the superposition and complexity of trauma suffered.

On arrival, stimulating debates, an even more united collective, and keys to make our response ever closer to needs, all at La Maison Montreau in Montreuil, a third place as we like them, between welcoming team, pleasant rooms and dishes prepared by Baluchon, social enterprise approved insertion company: a good address for your seminars in the east of Paris!

Back to news page

Mission to Moldova

April 13-17, 2022

From April 13 to 17, 2022, I went to Moldova, as part of my role as mental health advisor for the Ukraine committee of the Fondation de France. The mission was carried out jointly with the French Development Agency, with which the Fondation de France is currently drawing up a partnership agreement, like what was done for Lebanon after the explosion at the port of Beirut.

The main lessons of this mission are:

Slava Ukraine. Chisinau,
Moldova, April 2022.
Photo : Th Liscia

Mobilization of civil society and the Moldovan authorities: 400,000 refugees welcomed, 100,000 still present on the territory all housed and supported.

The work of NGOs mobilized in record time, with a special mention for the ACTED teams and their work at the border.

Border Moldova – Ukraine, April 2022.
Photo : anonymous

Donation storage warehouse in Chisinau,
April 2022. Credit : Th Liscia

The repetition of the negative consequences of certain actions in times of crisis: the Moldovan administrations dispossessed of their best elements by the recruitment of UN organizations, the excess of accumulated donations that will either not be used or destabilize the local economy in part.

The emerging needs of psychological support in relation to guarantees of moral appeasement (necessarily relative), such as the ability to be connected with the family remaining in Ukraine, being a refugee in a country where mental health care is not organized to deal with this type of situation.

Dining and rest area at the entrance
in Moldova, April 2022. Credit: Th Liscia

Moldova Entry First Aid and Care Area, April 2022. Photo: Th Liscia

The call for projects of the Fondation de France can be consulted on the website of the Fondation de France.

The first projects financed here.

Back to news page

Mission to Moldova on April 13-17, 2022

From April 13 to 17, 2022, I went to Moldova, as part of my role as mental health advisor for the Ukraine committee of the Fondation de France. The mission was carried out jointly with the French Development Agency, with which the Fondation de France is currently drawing up a partnership agreement, like what was done for Lebanon after the explosion at the port of Beirut.

The main lessons of this mission are:

  • Mobilization of civil society and the Moldovan authorities: 400,000 refugees welcomed, 100,000 still present on the territory all housed and supported.

Slava Ukraine. Chisinau, Moldova, April 2022. Photo : Th Liscia
  • The work of NGOs mobilized in record time, with a special mention for the ACTED teams and their work at the border.
Border Moldova – Ukraine, April 2022. Photo : anonymous

  • The repetition of the negative consequences of certain actions in times of crisis: the Moldovan administrations dispossessed of their best elements by the recruitment of UN organizations, the excess of accumulated donations that will either not be used or destabilize the local economy in part.

Donation storage warehouse in Chisinau, April 2022. Credit : Th Liscia
  • The emerging needs of psychological support in relation to guarantees of moral appeasement (necessarily relative), such as the ability to be connected with the family remaining in Ukraine, being a refugee in a country where mental health care is not organized to deal with this type of situation.
Dining and rest area at the entrance in Moldova, April 2022. Credit: Th Liscia
Moldova Entry First Aid and Care Area, April 2022. Photo: Th Liscia

The call for projects of the Fondation de France can be consulted on the website of the Fondation de France.

The first projects financed here.

Back to news page

EMDR Training

January 26-29, 2022

From 26 to 29 January 2022, I was trained at EMDR level 1 (Eye Monitoring Desensitization and Reprocessing).

The training, delivered in Lyon 2nd, brought together 22 participants from various places in France, and was provided by the EFPE (French School of Psychotherapy EMDR), one of the only 3 schools in France authorized to issue the EMDR Europe practitioner certificate.
 
The programme covered:
  • psychotraumatology
  • neuroplasticity of the brain
  • validation of the effectiveness of the model by scientific research
  • the 8 phases of the EMDR protocol
  • practical situations

Information about EMDR therapy can be found on this site on the Useful Links page.

Back to news page

EMDR Training on January 26-29, 2022

From 26 to 29 January 2022, I was trained at EMDR level 1 (Eye Monitoring Desensitization and Reprocessing).

The training, delivered in Lyon 2nd, brought together 22 participants from various places in France, and was provided by the EFPE (French School of Psychotherapy EMDR), one of the only 3 schools in France authorized to issue the EMDR Europe practitioner certificate.
 
The programme covered:
  • psychotraumatology
  • neuroplasticity of the brain
  • validation of the effectiveness of the model by scientific research
  • the 8 phases of the EMDR protocol
  • practical situations

Information about EMDR therapy can be found on this site on the Useful Links page.

Back to news page

Hearing by the National Assembly

October 15, 2021

As part of the information mission, the National Assembly, on national resilience, which aimed to analyze the main risks and threats to the country and assess the capacity of institutions, I had the honour of being invited to the hearing on the psychological consequences of large-scale crises. This round table, led by the deputy Thomas Gassilloud, rapporteur of the mission, and which also brought together Dr Patrice Louville, psychiatrist of hospitals, and Pr Francis Eustache, Neuropsychologist, has addressed various topics including research conducted in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, the consequences of long-term exposure to a complex adverse situation, and to formulate recommendations for the Government’s action in the event of combined crises.

My intervention was part of the final section of the mission’s argument regarding «how people are reacting today to tragedies in other parts of the world», leading me to present three types of work from my career that may be of interest to the mission: an in-depth study on the treatment of the psychological trauma of populations in countries in crisis, following conflict or a natural disaster; in Lebanon, the AFD project to create community mental health centers in the Beqaa and Rafiq Hariri Hospital in Beirut; psychological support post traumatic events for people following the 1st attack in downtown Ouagadougou in January 2016, and the explosion at the port of Beirut in August 2020.

 
The question that arose after that presentation, in terms of the purpose of the fact-finding mission, I think, was whether these programs ensure the resilience of populations. For this purpose it is necessary: to be aware of the dilemmas posed by the choice of a psychosocial action; not to be wrong in the fight and not to create needs; to open the programs to the whole community and not to the only vulnerable target population beforedefined and aware of adverse factors.
 

For those interested, the hearing can be viewed from 1:19 am on the National Assembly website.

The information report can be consulted on the website of the National Assembly.

Back to news page

Hearing by the National Assembly on October 15, 2021

As part of the information mission, the National Assembly, on national resilience, which aimed to analyze the main risks and threats to the country and assess the capacity of institutions, I had the honour of being invited to the hearing on the psychological consequences of large-scale crises. This round table, led by the deputy Thomas Gassilloud, rapporteur of the mission, and which also brought together Dr Patrice Louville, psychiatrist of hospitals, and Pr Francis Eustache, Neuropsychologist, has addressed various topics including research conducted in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, the consequences of long-term exposure to a complex adverse situation, and to formulate recommendations for the Government’s action in the event of combined crises.

My intervention was part of the final section of the mission’s argument regarding «how people are reacting today to tragedies in other parts of the world», leading me to present three types of work from my career that may be of interest to the mission: an in-depth study on the treatment of the psychological trauma of populations in countries in crisis, following conflict or a natural disaster; in Lebanon, the AFD project to create community mental health centers in the Beqaa and Rafiq Hariri Hospital in Beirut; psychological support post traumatic events for people following the 1st attack in downtown Ouagadougou in January 2016, and the explosion at the port of Beirut in August 2020.

 
The question that arose after that presentation, in terms of the purpose of the fact-finding mission, I think, was whether these programs ensure the resilience of populations. For this purpose it is necessary: to be aware of the dilemmas posed by the choice of a psychosocial action; not to be wrong in the fight and not to create needs; to open the programs to the whole community and not to the only vulnerable target population beforedefined and aware of adverse factors.
 

For those interested, the hearing can be viewed from 1:19 am on the National Assembly website.

The information report can be consulted on the website of the National Assembly.

Back to news page