Competency-based training and supervision: development of the WHO-UNICEF Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care (EQUIP) initiative

Brandon A. Kohrt, Center for Global Mental Health Equity, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: bkohrt@gwu.edu.
Gloria A. Pedersen, Center for Global Mental Health Equity, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Alison Schafer, Department of Mental Health, Brain Health, and Substance Use, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Kenneth Carswell, Department of Mental Health, Brain Health, and Substance Use, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Fiamma Rupp, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Team, Child Protection, UNICEF, New York, NY, USA.
Mark J. Jordans, Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Center for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Research and Development Department, War Child Alliance, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Elise West, SystemSeed, Dover, DE, USA.
Josephine Akellot, HealthRight, Kampala, Uganda; Vrjie University, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Pamela Y. Collins, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Carmen Contreras, Socios En Salud, Lima, Perú; School of Social Work, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Jerome T. Galea, School of Social Work, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Frezgi Gebrekristos, Center for Victims of Torture, Tigray, Ethiopia.
Muthoni Mathai, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Kristina Metz, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Naser Morina, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Mwamba Mwila Mwenge, Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Frederik Steen, Research and Development Department, War Child Alliance, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Ann Willhoite, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Team, Child Protection, UNICEF, New York, NY, USA.
Mark van Ommeren, Department of Mental Health, Brain Health, and Substance Use, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
James Underhill, Department of Mental Health, Brain Health, and Substance Use, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

9-6-2024

Journal

The lancet. Psychiatry

DOI

10.1016/S2215-0366(24)00183-4

Abstract

Globally, there has not been a standardised approach to ensure that the growing number of people who are not licensed clinicians but are delivering psychological interventions and mental health services have the competencies to deliver those interventions and services safely. Therefore, WHO and UNICEF developed Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care (EQUIP). EQUIP is a free resource with a digital platform that can be used to guide competency assessment. We describe EQUIP's 5-year development (2018-23) and the rationale supporting its contents and use. Development phases included establishing consensus for competency-based strategies; selecting foundational competencies; evaluating feasibility of assessments, role plays, and technology; piloting EQUIP when training non-specialists; and public dissemination and ongoing adaptations to increase scalability. From the public launch in March, 2022, through to March, 2024, EQUIP's digital platform has been used in 794 training programmes in 36 countries with 3760 trainees resulting in 10 001 competency assessments.

Department

Global Health

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