Urban mental health and psychosocial support in Egypt

In complicated urban contexts, organizations must redesign established models of MHPSS intervention in order to ensure that services are accessible to the most vulnerable and are context-specific. It is not possible merely to move camp-designed interventions to the urban context. The Psycho-Social Services and Training Institute in Cairo (PSTIC) concentrates on helping people find what they can do to become self-reliant rather than bemoaning the system's lack of resources. PSTIC does not replace but rather supplements community leaders. It respects the authority of elected leaders and their traditional influence to resolve problems. PSTIC workers, however, are trained to manage a range of issues that are often not within the expertise of community leaders.