MHPSS coordination and interagency support training 2025
From 10 to 13 June 2025, the fourth edition of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Coordination and Interagency Support Training took place. And this year, at a special location, namely our home base, The Hague, the Netherlands.
During these 4 days, 25 participants gained a lot of knowledge, asked questions, exchanged experiences, broadened their network and practised what they learnt, while having fun together. It was an advantage that the training took place in The Hague, as this allowed the participants to meet the teams from RVO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The training was led by the co-chairs of the MHPSS IASC Reference Group of WHO and IFRC, and by colleagues from UNICEF, UNHCR and Antares Foundation. A number of participants also presented their areas of expertise.
The first 2 days were theory-focused. From the MHPSS coordination handbook to the minimum service package to monitoring and evaluation, various vital deployment elements were covered. Several former deployees also spoke about their experiences. The last 2 days, participants put all their learnings into practice. Using lively simulations, such as the MHPSS Technical Working Group Co-Chairs' "time travel machine" and the "MHPSS treasure hunt", the participants enthusiastically practised real-life situations. Finally, the group discussed the importance of self-care during deployments.
We look back on this training with pride and hope to welcome the participants to a deployment soon.
Below, kindly find their main takeaways from the training.
"The excitement participants have about the opportunities for deployment and the opportunities to continue advancing the work of mental health and psychosocial support, despite the challenges that we are currently facing. Just seeing that from my colleagues is very encouraging."
"Working on the minimum service package (MPS) in a humanitarian setting, especially in emergencies, we often lack the means or time to design proper MHPSS interventions that meet all beneficiaries' needs. Taking part in this training, reviewing materials, getting useful advice, and learning different methods from experts and global managers is empowering and gives us the confidence to scale up."
"What stood out most was the Minimum Service Package (MSP) Learning. I have struggled in the past to do needs assessments and develop interventions on my own. Now, with the MSP, all the tools are in one place. I think that the ability to have a fantastic resource to help mental health coordination or MHPSS intervention development is by far one of the greatest lessons within this training."
"We can make a difference and contribute to the bigger picture and the sector in a protective way. Being equipped and ready to join deployments and contribute through clusters and technical working groups is important. Before, I felt we could not take part unless we were members of the technical working groups, but with this training and past experience, we now can."
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
