Humanitarian crises often result in profound psychological trauma in affected populations. Yet, providing mental health support remains a huge challenge for humanitarian actors and other healthcare professionals, having moved from a peripheral “nice-to-have” to a recognized core element of effective humanitarian response, although it is not yet applied across the board. In this blog, we examine the current state of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian contexts, drawing the expertise of panelists from a forum organized by foraus in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
01.April 2026
The Central Role of Mental Health in Crisis Response
Recent systematic reviews and field experience underscore that mental healthcare must be integrated into humanitarian aid, not only for trauma mitigation but also to enable people to rebuild their lives and communities. Evidence indicates that MHPSS interventions, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, can improve depression and trauma symptoms in children and adults affected by conflict and displacement. However, the effect of psychosocial programs can be mixed, underlining the importance of tailoring interventions to cultural and situational needs.
MSF formally integrated mental health into emergency medical responses in 1998, and by 2023, offered nearly half a million mental health consultations globally. MSF’s approach joins psychological and community-based support with medical aid, addressing both acute and long-term needs. This holistic strategy reflects broader recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), which advocates for mainstreaming mental health within all humanitarian and health system responses.
Social Justice, Storytelling, and Systemic Care
A key aspect illustrated at the MSF x foraus workshop was the integration of systemic, feminist, and narrative approaches to mental health care. Clinical psychologist Jacqueline Sigg emphasized that MHPSS must address both individual suffering and the collective, sociopolitical context generating trauma. Narrative therapy, for example, can help survivors make sense of their experiences and reclaim their agency, a process intimately tied to justice and dignity.
Sigg also advocates for a deliberate examination of practitioner privilege and the decolonization of care, echoing arguments in recent literature that mental health interventions must be attentive to structural injustices, racism, and the lived realities of displaced populations.
Lived Experience, Displacement, and Adaptation
First-hand accounts, such as those of Ivanna Bardas, a Ukrainian psychologist who fled to Switzerland, highlight the daily challenges faced by displaced persons in adapting to new environments, seeking employment, and maintaining family life in exile. Barriers such as credential recognition, language, and administrative limitations compound mental health difficulties and shape both short- and long-term adaptation. Bardas’s experience confirms WHO research showing depression, anxiety, and trauma prevalence are substantially higher among migrants and refugees than in host populations. Crucially, both research and expert testimony affirm the protective role of social participation, community belonging, and tailored psychosocial support in fostering resilience and integration.
Civil Society, Integration, and the Need for Positive Narratives
Panelist Arno Tanner, whose background combines frontline humanitarian work at EU borders with social-work training, logistics, and advocacy, emphasized together with workshop participants the crucial role of civil society in providing safe spaces, promoting inclusive narratives, and facilitating both integration and cultural continuity. The media, individuals, advocacy groups, and state actors share responsibility for creating conditions that support migrants’ resilience, inclusion, and well-being.
Challenges and Imperatives Moving Forward
The integration of MHPSS faces systemic barriers: resource constraints, cultural gaps, and limited availability of trained professionals. The high prevalence of mental ill-health among humanitarian workers themselves points to the need for organizational and policy changes, including proper screening, trauma-informed preparation, and ongoing psychological support, which are now increasingly recognized as critical for aid efficacy and worker retention.
Mental health is not secondary
Progress has been made in considering mental health in humanitarian response, but persistent gaps remain in placing mental health at the core of it by translating policy to practice, adapting care to cultural contexts, and addressing structural inequities. The consensus among experts and research is clear: mental health is not a secondary concern, but a fundamental prerequisite for humanitarian effectiveness and sustainable recovery.
