Caring for Carers: A psychosocial supervision intervention for mental health practitioners

Abstract There are over 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, many of whom suffer mental health problems. There are a profound shortage of mental health professionals to provide specialized mental health treatment in displacement settings, precluding access to services and exacerbating mental health problems. The Caring for Carers project strengthens the ethical and quality provision of mental health services in Northwest Syria, Türkiye, and Bangladesh through online professional support and skills development. Our community-based participatory research project builds on a decade-long partnership with Syrian and Rohingya community members, mental health practitioners, and activists. Our project involves regular consultations and discussions with stakeholders, including co-design and co-delivery of online professional support. We tailor our strategies to address challenges related to inclusive research practice and ensure the meaningful participation of displaced communities as research partners. Introduction Our partners are Prof. Muhammad Kamruzzaman Mozumder, a global mental health scholar and clinical psychologist at Dhaka University; Bangladesh Assoc. Prof. Ceren Acarturk, a global mental health scholar and clinical psychologist at Koc University; and Türkiye Hope Revival Organization, a Syrian-run non-governmental organization providing mental health services to displaced Syrian individuals in Türkiye and Syria. Our partners are the research leads in their respective settings, involved in identifying needs and developing the research agenda to ensure the quality provision of mental health services for displaced communities. They lead the design, delivery, and dissemination of the research. In addition, they oversee day-to-day research activities such as data collection, communication with partner organizations, and the delivery and design of the supervision program. Who should benefit? Conflict and persecution have led to the displacement of more than 100 million people globally. In this project, we are working with the most deprived communities in Northwest Syria, Türkiye, and Bangladesh. This project aims to strengthen mental health services for Syrian and Rohingya displaced communities. We are developing a model and evidence for the effectiveness of online professional support and skills development to support staff and improve service quality and sustainability. Since the onset of civil conflict in Syria in 2011, the Syrian crisis has r