Psychosocial Interventions in Migration, Emergency and Displacement a.a. 2023/2024

Course description

The psychosocial approach responds to the threats brought by disruptive events, or predicaments of life to the notion of individual, group and collective identity. For this reason, said approach proves especially useful in situations where individual, group and community identity and roles are questioned, challenged, annihilated, in need for reconstruction-readjustment, as is the case of migration and displacement forced by wars, disasters, collective socioeconomic vulnerabilities, and return. That is why psychosocial activities have become an indispensable component of humanitarian responses to emergency displacement.
Yet, a non-harmonized approach to and understanding of psychosocial support tend to characterize those interventions.
The focus of the Course is on providing a frame of reference for understanding the psychosocial dimension of displacement and crisis-affected societies, while presenting harmonized ethics, approaches and tools associated with psychosocial support.

Course target

The Course addresses the needs of psychologists, social workers, educators-teachers, medical doctors and psychiatrists, nurses, applied artists (e.g. dance therapists), humanitarian workers, emergency experts, development workers or similar.

Training objectives

The course will provide a frame of reference for understanding the psychosocial dimension of migration, displacement and crisis-affected societies, as well as of the processes within the migration cycle of vulnerable groups, all while presenting harmonized ethics, approaches and tools associated with psychosocial support.
The course will enable participants to acknowledge the complexity of MHPSS Interventions in crisis situations or during the migration process, conceptualize holistic responses, understand the interrelation of the different sectorial responses and gain advanced specific knowledge in each sector of intervention.

Teaching methods

The Course has a practical orientation and relies heavily on case studies to enhance participants’ skills and abilities to effectively provide psychosocial support. Practical exercises will include advanced role-playing and simulations. The participants’ and trainers’ field experience will be captured within sessions especially dedicated to knowledge and lessons learned sharing.

Course programme

The Course will give an overview of both specific psychosocial programming and psychosocial approaches to different dimensions of humanitarian assistance in emergency displacement, in particular:

• Mental health and psychosocial paradigms in displacement: psychological, social, cultural and anthropological perspectives
• International standards in MHPSS in Emergencies
• How to foster a non-harmful humanitarian assistance in camp set up and coordination, health, food and non food items distribution
• Principles of psychological first aid and psychological counselling
• Care for the most vulnerable and referral
• Medical/non medical responses
• Small scale conflict management and transitional justice
• Participatory needs assessment
• Creative and art based interventions
• Emergency psychosocial project cycle

How to apply

The application deadline for the selection process managed by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies is 30 June 2023. Applications shall be submitted online through the link above at this webpage.

Course fee

The Course fee is 1.650,00 EUR and includes attendance costs, tutorship, reference material, lunch/dinner at the canteen of the Sant’Anna School for the entire length of the course, and free access to the wireless connection within the School’s premises.
Finding an accommodation in Pisa falls under the full responsibility of the participants.
Any other expenses – such as visa and travel costs, etc. - are to be covered by the participants.

 Scholarships

Depending on financial availabilities, up to two partial scholarships (50% of the tuition fee) may be made available. If available, said contributions will be awarded by the above-mentioned Committee, whose decision will be final, taking into consideration the motivation and the curriculum of the candidate, gender balance and nationality of a non-OECD country.

Attendance certificate

At the end of the Course the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies will issue a certificate of attendance, with value to the extent permitted by law, to the students who attended at least 80% of the lessons and are up-to-date with the payment of the enrolment fee. The certificate will also include the details of the ECTS credits obtained for those students who passed the final assessment test.