AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...

CHWs make a significant contribution to the health and development of their communities,
particularly in countries such as India, and can improve access to and coverage of communities
with basic health services. 7
Who is the facilitator?
The manual is intended for use by an experienced health facilitator or trainer. We recommend
co-facilitation involving two facilitators. The program will be enhanced if at least one of the
facilitators already has a good understanding of mental health and mental disorders.
Teaching methods
This training manual outlines a program that uses a range of teaching methods:
• Presentations that are given by the facilitator or a resource specialist to convey information,
theories, or principles.
• Case studies that provide descriptions of real-life situations to be used for group
discussions.
• Small group participatory activities in which participants share experiences and ideas or
solve problems together, and then make a presentation to the larger group to stimulate
further discussion and debate.
• Participatory role playing activities in which participants act parts in scenarios or assume
roles to demonstrate and reinforce the learning.
Tips for facilitators
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It is useful to set some simple ground rules for the training at the beginning of the program
and in collaboration with the group.
To stimulate lively discussions:
• ask open-ended questions e.g. “can you tell me about…”
• ask other participants if they agree with a statement someone makes
• invite participants to answer each others’ questions by saying “does anyone have an
answer to that question?”
• encourage participants who give limited responses by saying “can you tell me a
bit more about that?”.
Encourage quieter participants to speak and provide them with positive reinforcement.
Paraphrase participants’ comments to check that you have understood them properly.
Summarise the discussion to ensure that everyone understands the main points.
Gently correct any misinformation communicated by participants.
Avoid using abbreviations and acronyms that participants may not be familiar with.
Try to keep the program running to time (otherwise you will run out of time).
Try to ensure at least one member of each small working group can read and write.
Encourage the group to engage in brief energising activities that involve movement from
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AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH