Interpersonal psychotherapy for Lebanese and Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Abstract

This chapter studies interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for Syrian refugees and Lebanese host in Lebanon. Across Lebanon, the treatment gap is largely caused by the low availability of specialized mental health care resources and community-based mental health services. Especially with the influx of displaced Syrians, local communities have been under unprecedented pressure to provide for the massive new and high-need population, overstretching resources and infrastructures already insufficient for the hosting communities. To address these needs, in 2015 the National Mental Health Program at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) of Lebanon initiated a 5-year mental health strategy (2015-2020), currently extended until 2030, to provide comprehensive, integrated, and responsive mental health services in community-based settings for vulnerable populations. Also in 2015, as part of the MoPH in collaboration with the Global Mental Health Lab (GMHLab) at Teachers College (TC), Columbia University, set the foundation for sustainable national capacity-building in IPT through the implementation of a series of trainings, with the aim of training psychologists working within the humanitarian response service system. The chapter then looks at the approach and adaptation of IPT adoption in Lebanon before considering the major barriers and facilitators of IPT implementation. © Oxford University Press 2024. All rights reserved.