World Vision holds 5-day PM+ training enhancing skills of community health volunteers in Moldova

World Vision is conducting the first Problem Management Plus (PM+) training in Moldova. As part of the five-day course, which runs from June 5 to June 9, 2023, 14 Moldovan social workers and psychologists will be trained to address the psychosocial needs of adult Ukrainian refugees and host communities.

The training is sponsored by Nachbar in Not (NiN) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), and organized by World Vision in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), representatives of the Moldovan-Swiss project MENSANA, and AVE Copiii, World Vision’s local partner.

“With the aid of this training, you will be able to assist Ukrainian refugees and other vulnerable individuals in resolving their psychological problems and enhancing their general well-being,” said Lilia Damaschin Rughina, World Vision’s project manager, at the opening of the event.

“You will be the first Moldovan professionals trained in PM+,” she added.

PM+ is a concept that brings together psychological assistance and problem-solving strategies to assist distressed people. It is an evidence-based method created by the World Health Organization (WHO) to address prevalent mental health and psychosocial issues among adversity-affected populations.

The course entails teaching non-specialists such as community health professionals or volunteers, a set of practical skills and procedures that they may use to help people in distress.

“The PM+ training is an extra tool used to assist people. It is not to diagnose them, not to label them, but to recognize that all of us struggle with problems and need extra support,” shared Maura Reap, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Consultant for the World Health Organization Country Office in Moldova.

She added, “PM+ provides simple tools for understanding mental health challenges without stigmatizing. It’s looking at the behaviours, different thought processes, and providing ways to help people get through hard times.”

This training, which consists of five main sessions, will enable 14 professionals to deliver PM+ interventions under the supervision of experienced mentors.

There is a severe shortage of psychologists in Moldova. While I know this issue won’t be resolved quickly, we can at least train professionals in fundamental problem-solving techniques, such as teachers and social workers.

“When I learned that World Vision will host the first PM+ training in our country, I was overjoyed. PM+ is a powerful approach designed for professionals who work with people who encounter hardship but lack psychological expertise,” shared Jana Chihai, Superior Consultant of MENSANA in Mental Health, on the reform of Moldova’s Mental Health Service.

“I’m very grateful that World Vision has put together this training on Problem Management Plus. It is an honour and a privilege to be invited to support the initiative,” said Reap. “In any emergency, about 22% of the population from a conflict zone will experience mental health problems,” she continued.

Yet, when a crisis strikes, there are often no resources available to address mental health needs. In most emergency situations, there are insufficient psychologists and psychiatrists, according to the WHO expert.

“This applies to Moldova. Despite being more developed than most places where conflicts break out, Moldova doesn’t have enough human resources to meet dramatic mental health and psychosocial needs,” she explained.

“There is a severe shortage of psychologists in Moldova. While I know this issue won’t be resolved quickly, we can at least train professionals in fundamental problem-solving techniques, such as teachers and social workers,” shared Mariana Ianachevici, Executive Director of AVE Copiii.

She continued, “I appreciate everyone for taking up the task. I appreciate your bravery. As there is great demand, I hope we can work together in the future to teach more local PM+ specialists.”

Even though the training takes five days, the 14 participants will be monitored and supervised on a long-term basis.

To date, World Vision has reached more than 61,000 people with mental health and psychosocial support programming in Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Georgia.

With the support of eight local partners, World Vision Ukraine Crisis Response in Moldova helped over 162,000 individuals, including Ukrainian refugees and host families.

Story and photos by Laurentia Jora, Communications Coordinator