Publication:
Title:
Competency-based training and supervision: development of the WHO-UNICEF Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care (EQUIP) initiative
Published:
September 6, 2024
Source:
The Lancet Psychiatry, Elsevier
Authors:
Brandon Kohrt, Gloria A Pedersen, Alison Schafer, Kenneth Carswell, Fiamma Rupp, Mark JD Jordans, Elise West, Josephine Akellot, Pamela Y Collins, Carmen Contreras, Jerome T Galea, Frezgi Gebrekristos, Muthoni Mathai, Kristina Metz, Naser Morina, Mwamba Mwila Mwenge, Frederik Steen, Ann Willhoite, Mark van Ommeren, James Underhill, Aemal Akhtar, Richard A Bryant, Tessa Concepcion, Rozane El Marsi, Abdelrhman Elnasseh, Mahmoud Hemmo, Rosco Kasujja, Gergana Manolova, Evgeniy Maslovskiy, Anne W Mbwayo, Leydi M Moran, Saphira Munthali-Mulemba, Byamah B Mutamba, Teresa Mutavi, Mansurat Raji, Ruta Rangel, Manaswi Sangraula, Alejandra Sepulveda, Wietse A Tol, Edith van t'Hof, Andrey Yurtaev
Description:
EQUIP (Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care), developed by WHO and UNICEF, addresses the global need for a standardized approach to ensure that non-licensed individuals delivering psychological interventions have the necessary competencies to do so safely. Over a five-year period (2018–2023), EQUIP was created as a free resource with a digital platform to guide competency assessment. Development phases included reaching consensus on competency-based strategies, identifying foundational competencies, evaluating the feasibility of assessments and role plays, and testing EQUIP in training non-specialists. The platform has been publicly disseminated and is continually adapted to improve scalability, aiming to ensure safe and effective mental health service delivery by non-specialists worldwide.