Mental Health

Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well and contribute to their community. For people who are exposed to adverse circumstances such as poverty, violence, conflict, disability or inequality, they are at higher risk of developing a mental health condition. Communities we work with, particularly marginalized populations, have consistently identified access to mental health support and services as an essential need. 

Despite the clear link of psychological well-being to overall health and well-being, mental health services have historically been overlooked and under-funded across the world. Yet they play a critical role in improving health outcomes and strengthening social and economic resilience. Even when services are available, stigma hinders access and discourages help-seeking behavior. 

Pact intentionally integrates mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) into our global health and governance programs to fill the gaps in this growing yet unmet need. We work directly with impacted communities to co-create, adapt and deliver evidence-informed mental health interventions and service delivery models that work for them. Additionally, we focus on strengthening broader mental health care and support systems, from national to community levels, to ensure sustainable improvements in addressing MHPSS needs. 

Our Expertise

Pact approaches MHPSS in a variety of ways. Some programs use more specialized mental health interventions and indicators, while others give increased attention to strengthening family providers of psychological and emotional care. From trauma-focused care for war-affected populations in Ukraine to strengthened psychosocial support skills for providers caring for vulnerable families in South Africa, Rwanda and Nigeria, we contextualize interventions based on the needs of specific populations.

With only 1% of the global health workforce working in mental health, Pact leverages our health and social welfare systems strengthening activities to improve mental health systems and address this health workforce gap. We train and mentor non-professional cadres as service providers to expand access to prevention and responsive care for common mental disorders and formalize stepped care models for upward referrals and linkages.

In Ukraine, where mental health needs have soared due to Russia’s protracted war, Pact leads the U.S. Government’s largest mental health program worldwide. Estimates project that 40-50% of the Ukrainian population require MHPSS of varying intensity. Pact is working in close collaboration with the Ukrainian government, civil society partners and training institutions to expand access to community-based mental health care services, expand and strengthen the mental health workforce, increase demand for and uptake of mental health care services, and strengthen sustainable systems for comprehensive, evidence-informed stepwise mental health care.

MHPSS is also an important part of peacebuilding because it can help address the psychological and social impacts of conflict and violence. It can also help to break cycles of conflict and violence by promoting social cohesion. Our peacebuilding work utilizes tools such as peace dialogues and trauma healing to build and maintain trust among local communities as a pathway to peace.

Our work also extends from the communities we work with to frontline workers, including our own staff. In Ukraine, we are training local partners and service providers to deliver culturally appropriate, evidence-informed psychosocial support services, including in-person and virtual one-on-one and group PSS counseling sessions, to help community members affected by the war, including health care workers and frontline responders. We also offer workshops for employees on topics such as self-care, stress management, time management, sleep hygiene, nutrition and physical activity. We provide a global employee assistance program to help staff manage stress, anxiety, depression and more. We also provide staff with a premium subscription to Calm, an app that provides tools to support mental wellness.