Global Mental Health Training and Practice

The enormous health and social burdens associated with mental disorders have global reach and persist in the setting of unmet needs. To address these, the pipeline of global mental health trainees must be expanded and nurtured as the next generation of practitioners, investigators, and educators advance innovation in mental health prevention, promotion, and health delivery. This book offers a much-needed introduction to the rapidly evolving field of global mental health. The editors bring their extensive expertise and experience in global mental health research, practice, and training which includes working in academic and non-profit settings, building collaborations, and teaching hundreds of students and trainees. The volume’s twelve chapters—authored by over sixty contributors from multiple disciplines—offer a breadth of content that comprises an introductory framework.This volume is an essential read for learners and educators who seek to explore or deepen their interest in the field of global mental health. Its orientation to fundamentals of practice and training and contextualization with social science perspectives will also be invaluable to health professionals, social scientists, policymakers, and other professionals who are invested in training the next generation of global mental health practitioners.

"This is a monumental piece that provides an entry point for learners—and their mentors, too—to explore key dimensions of global mental health research and practice. It is grounded, wise, and practical. An inclusive approach is critical, and here the many diverse authors show us a path forward." – Dr. Elizabeth H. Bradley, President of Vassar College, and Founder of Yale Global Health Leadership Institute. "Global mental health can often be seen as something that academics write about and discuss with other academics in scientific conferences. The book by Acharya and Becker clearly and conclusively demonstrates that key lessons of global mental health can be learned and practiced much more widely and can change the way mental health is conceptualized and delivered. A must read for all teachers, students, and practitioners of mental health everywhere!" – Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Former Director, Mental Health, World Health Organization."This Introductory Framework relies on the distillation of decades of work in global mental health to offer learners and their mentors an outstanding balanced grounding in this increasingly fundamental approach to overcoming the worldwide impact of racism, colonialism, and economic exploitation. Its chapters cover conceptual foundations, history, overall practical guidance, specific applications, case examples, research agendas, and current critiques. It’s a terrific one-volume introduction to everything one needs to know in global mental health." – Dr. Roberto Lewis-Fernández, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University; Director, Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence and Research Area Leader, Anxiety, Mood, Eating and Related Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute."The Global Mental Health field has matured. It’s the urgently needed "next system" to deliver on the increasingly acknowledged priority of safeguarding mental health across all levels of governance. It brings an overdue makeover to long dominant Global North over-medicalized traditions, and rigor and space to a more Global South epistemology that converges holistic, social, and empowering ground rules. A harvest of wisdom on how to grow and teach that is wonderfully brought together in this important and timely volume." – Dr. Gary Belkin, Director, Billion Minds Project, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Chair, COP2.

Bibhav Acharya, MD is an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF, where he sees patients, conducts research, and directs a fellowship in global mental health. He is the co-founder of Possible, a non-profit that has administered over $35 million in healthcare innovation in rural Nepal.Anne E. Becker, MD, PhD is Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Professor of Psychiatry, and Dean for Clinical and Academic Affairs at Harvard Medical School.