Building Better Before training: Integrating MHPSS into emergency preparedness

The training experience

The event included workshops and a full-scale multi-sectoral simulation exercise. Its main focus was response preparedness and operational readiness, ensuring that mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is not an afterthought, but an integral part of emergency planning. The WHO, the Thai Ministry of Public Health, DG ECHO and the Asian Development Bank organised the training.

Lessons

Participants took part in realistic scenarios that tested their technical skills and their ability to communicate, adapt and make decisions under pressure. As one roster member reflected, the training highlighted "the importance of integrating MHPSS into emergency preparedness and ensuring that operational readiness includes mental health from the very beginning." Another participant valued the practical references and adaptability of resources, emphasising that tools and guidance are only effective when responders know how to adapt them to the current situation.

Impact and way forward

For the MHPSS Surge Mechanism, the BBB training reinforced a crucial insight: Preparedness means more than just having expertise on standby. It requires integrating mental health and psychosocial support into the core of emergency planning, alongside health, protection, education and other vital sectors. By investing in coordination, assessment, practical tools and cross-sector collaboration before a crisis strikes, organisations and governments can ensure a faster, more coherent and people-focused response when it matters most.