Humanitarian Mental Health
MHPSS & Crisis Response
When communities face their darkest moments — conflict, disaster, displacement — Berson deploys specialized mental health and psychosocial support to restore safety, dignity, and hope.
12+
Crisis deployments
8,000+
People reached
6
Regions served in Cameroon
40+
Community workers trained
Our Approach
What is MHPSS?
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) refers to any type of local or outside support that aims to protect or promote psychosocial wellbeing and prevent or treat mental disorder in humanitarian settings.
Berson's MHPSS work is grounded in the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings — the global standard for humanitarian mental health response. We operate across the full intervention pyramid: from community-level psychosocial activities to specialized clinical care.
We work in close coordination with UN agencies, international NGOs, and local community organizations to ensure our response is culturally appropriate, contextually relevant, and sustainable beyond the acute crisis phase.
Armed Conflict & Displacement
Psychological first aid, trauma stabilization, and long-term recovery support for communities affected by armed conflict, forced displacement, and refugee crises.
Natural Disasters
Rapid-response MHPSS deployment following floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters — restoring psychological safety and community resilience.
Public Health Emergencies
Mental health support during and after epidemics, pandemics, and mass casualty events — addressing grief, anxiety, and collective trauma at scale.
Post-Crisis Recovery
Sustained community-based programs to rebuild social cohesion, restore functioning, and prevent long-term mental health sequelae after crises.
Intervention Pyramid
How We Respond
Psychological First Aid
Immediate, humane, and supportive care for people in acute distress — reducing initial distress and fostering short- and long-term adaptive functioning.
Community Stabilization
Strengthening existing community and family support structures, social networks, and cultural healing practices as the foundation of recovery.
Focused Non-Specialized Support
Structured psychological interventions delivered by trained community workers for people with mild-to-moderate mental health difficulties.
Specialized Clinical Care
Diagnosis and treatment of severe mental health conditions by our clinical team — including PTSD, major depression, and psychosis in crisis contexts.
Guiding Principles
Do No Harm. Respect. Dignity.
Human Rights & Equity
All interventions uphold the rights and dignity of affected populations without discrimination.
Community Participation
We involve affected communities in the design, delivery, and evaluation of all MHPSS activities.
Cultural Sensitivity
Our responses are adapted to local cultural, linguistic, and spiritual contexts.
Evidence-Based Practice
All interventions are grounded in the best available evidence and IASC guidelines.
Do No Harm
We rigorously assess and mitigate potential negative consequences of our interventions.
Coordination
We work within established humanitarian coordination mechanisms to avoid duplication and gaps.
Collaboration
Who We Work With
Effective MHPSS response requires coordination across sectors. Berson works alongside a wide range of humanitarian, governmental, and community actors to ensure a comprehensive, non-duplicative response.
- UN Agencies (UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO)
- International NGOs
- Cameroonian Government Health Services
- Community-Based Organizations
- Faith-Based Organizations
- Academic & Research Institutions
Request a Deployment or Partnership
Is your organization responding to a humanitarian crisis and in need of MHPSS expertise? We welcome partnership inquiries from NGOs, UN agencies, and government bodies.
- Field deployment support
- Staff training & capacity building
- MHPSS program design & evaluation
- Remote technical assistance
Explore our full range of services.
MHPSS is one of five core service areas at Berson Mental Health Services.