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Global Mental Health Reforms
Published Online: 10 January 2023

Sustainable Partnerships to Ensure Quality in Psychological Support (EQUIP) for Adolescents

Muthoni Mathai, Ph.D., Anne Mbwayo, Ph.D., Tessa Concepcion, M.S.G.H., Teresia Mutavi, Ph.D., Michael Njeru, Ph.D., Stella Waruinge, M. Psych., Shannon Dorsey, Ph.D., Alison Schafer, Ph.D., Gloria A. Pedersen, M.Sc., Moitreyee Sinha, Ph.D., Brandon A. Kohrt, M.D., Ph.D., and Pamela Y. Collins, M.D., M.P.H. [email protected]Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric Services
Volume 74, Number 7
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220200
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Abstract

Ensuring that sustainable and effective mental health services are available for children and adolescents is a growing priority for national governments. However, little guidance exists on how to support service implementation. In Kenya, partnerships were formed among regional government, nongovernmental organizations, and universities to implement Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support (EQUIP)–Nairobi, a pilot project to train and supervise nonspecialists delivering psychological support to adolescents. Lessons were learned about integrating psychological services into existing health services by using the EQUIP platform to assess competencies, engaging partners for supervision and quality improvement, and involving youth stakeholders. The partnerships facilitated a rapid transition to remote services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EQUIP-Nairobi project results offer lessons for partnerships in other low-resource settings.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
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Psychiatric Services
Volume 74 • Number 7 • July 01, 2023
Pages: 781 - 784
PubMed: 36625140

History

Received: 9 April 2022
Revision received: 11 September 2022
Accepted: 31 October 2022
Published online: 10 January 2023
Published in print: July 01, 2023

Keywords

  1. Adolescents
  2. Psychotherapy
  3. Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support (EQUIP)
  4. Community mental health services
  5. Partnerships
  6. Global mental health

Authors

Affiliations

Muthoni Mathai, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Anne Mbwayo, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Tessa Concepcion, M.S.G.H.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Teresia Mutavi, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Michael Njeru, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Stella Waruinge, M. Psych.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Shannon Dorsey, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Alison Schafer, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Gloria A. Pedersen, M.Sc.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Moitreyee Sinha, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Brandon A. Kohrt, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Pamela Y. Collins, M.D., M.P.H. [email protected]
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Mathai, Mbwayo, Mutavi); Departments of Global Health (Concepcion, Collins), Psychology (Dorsey), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Collins), University of Washington, Seattle; citiesRISE, Nairobi, Kenya (Njeru), and New York City (Sinha); Mental Health Unit, Health Directorate, Nairobi County Government, Nairobi, Kenya (Waruinge); Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (Schafer); Global Mental Health Progam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Pedersen, Kohrt).
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Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Collins ([email protected]). Pamela Y. Collins, M.D., M.P.H., Matías Irarrázaval, M.D., M.P.H., Helen E. Jack, M.D., and Lola Kola, Ph.D., are editors of this column.

Competing Interests

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

This study was supported by the WHO with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (to Dr. Mathai, Dr. Mbwayo, Ms. Concepcion, Dr. Mutavi, Dr. Dorsey, and Dr. Collins) and from Co-Impact and Pivotal Ventures (to Drs. Njeru and Sinha). The authors thank the psychosocial supervisors Ms. Chombalelo Mukunta, Ms. Keziah Anunda, and Ms. Lucy Mwaura for their contributions to this work.These views represent the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders, University of Nairobi, University of Washington, citiesRISE, Nairobi County Government, WHO, or George Washington University.

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