Heartbeat of Humanity

This is the third episode in a podcast series framed by contributions featured in the International Review of the Red Crosspublished by ICRC focusing on Mental health and armed conflict.  This episode takes off from a contribution entitled Strengthening resilience for people affected by violence in international armed conflict: A community-based MHPSS intervention in Armenia co-authored by Sofia Gimenez Molinero, Mher Naghdalyan and Mariam Aghababyan with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Armida Zakharyan from the Armenian Red Cross Society.

The contribution published in the International Review is based on a study of a c...

This is the second episode in a podcast series framed by contributions featured in the International Review of the Red Cross published by ICRC focusing on Mental health and armed conflict. This episode takes off from a contribution entitled Voices from the front line: Mental health and psychosocial experiences of Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers and staff working in armed conflict contexts authored by Arz Stephan MHPSS Advisor, Ganna Goloktionova MHPSS Advisor, Cátia Sofia Peres de Matos MHPSS Advisorand Shona Whitton MHPSS Technical Team Leadall staff members of the MHPSS Hub.

Together, they conducted a qualitative st...

The ICRC recently released the latest edition of the International Review of the Red Cross focusing on Mental health and armed conflict. The MHPSS Hub is launching a podcast-series in cooperation with ICRC and the authors of some of the key-articles to discuss the findings and insights they offer. 

This first introductory episode features a conversation with MHPSS Hub Director, Sarah Harrison and Omar Salih Rasheed, MHPSS Programme Coordinator for ICRC. Sarah and Omar were two members of the jury who selected articles for the review and two of the voices behind the editorial of the review. T...

Responders, representing relevant authorities and humanitarian actors, rely on online communication during and after disasters and emergencies - both as a tool to reach exposed populations, to organize and coordinate responses and to mobilize resources. However, disasters and emergencies also spark more problematic online attention and reactions including the targeting of marginalized populations. 

IFRCs World Disaster Report 2026 featured a contribution from Yasin Duman, Research Specialist and Shona Whitton, Heading the Technical Team both representing the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub. The topic of the contribution was Online racism and mental health after disasters. 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, host Ahlem Cheffi is joined from Damascus by Dr. Faiza Alabdullah, Head of Psychosocial Support, Protection, and Community Services at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). Together, they explore how community-based psychosocial support and protection are implemented during emergencies in Syria, why this approach is critical in a protracted crisis and how MHPSS contributes to individual healing, social cohesion, and community protection. The conversation also looks at the recovery phase, including support to returnees and reflects on the role of MHPSS in rebuilding social bonds, strengthening peace and empowering communities.

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Dans cet épisode de Heartbeat of Humanity, le podcast du Mouvement Croix-Rouge Croissant-Rouge dédié à la santé mentale et au soutien psychosocial (SMSPS), nous explorons le contexte de crises et de conflits au Niger et leurs impacts psychosociaux sur les communautés affectées, y compris les personnes déplacées, migrantes et réfugiées. L’épisode met en lumière l’intégration de la SMSPS dans la réponse humanitaire de la Croix-Rouge nigérienne, la collaboration avec ses partenaires et son rôle de chef de file dans la coordination des acteurs à travers le Groupe de travail technique S...

Dans cet épisode du podcast Heartbeat of Humanity, Ahlem Cheffi, spécialiste SMSPS du Centre du Mouvement de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge pour la Santé Mentale et le Soutien Psychosocial, échange avec le Dr Fabrice Ouédraogo et Yahaya Diallo (Croix-Rouge burkinabè), ainsi qu’avec Hema Lacina (Croix-Rouge danoise).

Cet épisode a été enregistré au Burkina Faso lors de la formation régionale sur les soins de santé mentale communautaires (SSMC), organisée conjointement par le Centre du Mouvement de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge pour et la Croix-Rouge burkinabè pour la SMSPS, et basée sur les lignes di...

This episode focuses on the potential of sports in supporting inclusion and mental health.  Khalida Popal is an award-winning Afghan football pioneer and activist and the founder of the Girl Power organisation. 

Khalida joined us for a training in Copenhagen under the Sport Coach+ initiative, implemented in a partnership between the MHPSS Hub and the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF). The initiative aims to create trauma informed and healing centered sports environments for young athletes between the ages of 10 and 24 with a focus on those with a background of displacement and adversities.

Khalida and the Girl Po...

“Too far, too fast?”

In this sixth episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the MHPSS Hub, and Dan Amias, Senior Innovation Learning Adviser at Elrha, speaks with Mercy Githara, MHPSS Manager at the Kenya Red Cross Society, and Anne de Graaf, Technical Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO) about two chatbots: STARS, a non-AI chatbot developed by WHO, and Chat Care, an AI chatbot being deployed in Kenya by the Red Cross.

Key resources for practitioners:
Kenya Red Cross Society: Chat Care, AI Powered Mental Health Chatbot  

WHO: Doing What Matte...

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis Affected Contexts, episode 5: EASE

“What matters to young people? Climate, jobs, and mental health.”

Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) is an evidence-based group intervention that helps 10–15-year-olds in adversity-affected communities manage stress, anxiety, and depression through skills training. It includes seven sessions for adolescents and three for caregivers, using adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques delivered by trained non-specialist helpers. 

In this fifth episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, speaks with Professor Mark Jordans (researcher at  Kin...

Tackling the complex issue of perinatal mental health. 

Thinking Healthy (TH), a brief psychological intervention that can be delivered by trained and supervised community health care workers. It uses simple cognitive behavioral techniques to provide mothers with support and to improve mental health outcomes for the mother and new-born infant.

In this fourth episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, speaks with Dr Waood Afara, Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Yemen‏, and Dr Elisabetta Dozio Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Spe...

On 3 September 2025 the docudrama the Voice of Hind Rajab had its world premiere during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The movie directed by Kaouther Ben Hania received 24 minutes of standing ovation and won the Grand Jury Prize.

For our colleague Nisreen Qawas, MHPSS director for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the voice of Hind Rajab was the person at the other end of the emergency call she received on 29th of January 2024 – the day five-year old Hind was killed alongside her family members and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society team that was sent to re...

When is a transdiagnostic approach the best route to quality mental health care in crisis affected context, and how does it work in practice?

In this third episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, talks to three experts with extensive experience with CETA, the Common Elements Treatment Approach System of Care: Dr Laura Murray (Founder, CETA Global; Senior Scientist, john Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), Cherry Soemyint (CETA trainer, Myanmar) and David Mwanza (CETA trainer, Zambia).

Together they explore how CETA is adapted for different service-user groups and...

Do Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) really improve children’s mental health?

Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) are safe, structured places established quickly in emergencies where children can play, learn, and receive psychosocial support, to promote protection and wellbeing.

In this second episode, Sarah Harrison, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, speaks with Professor Alastair Ager, Queen Margaret University and Columbia University and Phiona Koyiet, MHPSS Lead, World Vision International, for a practitioner-focused reflection.

Together they examine what the evidence says about effectiveness and impact of CFS for children’s wellbeing, prot...

How do we adapt an evidence-based mental health intervention for different communities in crisis-affected settings?

In this first episode Sarah Harrison, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, interviews Ken Carswell a Mental health Specialist from WHO and Lidiia Kasianchuk a psychologist from Ukraine with experience of implementing SH+. 

Together they unpack what practitioners need to know about implementation of both the book and group-based SH+ approaches, including field use and adaptation experiences; the impact of SH+ on service users and staff (the role of group facilitators is key). The importance o...

In this short teaser, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub Sarah Harrison introduces a coming podcast series on the Heartbeat of Humanity channel.

The six-episode podcast series is called Evidence from the Frontline – mental health in crisis affected contexts and it is produced in a collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha - Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance.

Designed for MHPSS practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and offers practical insights from experts in the field. It will explore critical to...

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews MHPSS specialists Cátia Matos and Guleed Dualeh about the first regional MHPSS trainings conducted by the Red Cross Red Crescent MHPSS Hub.

These two trainings, one in Kenya and one in Paraguay, mark a paradigm shift for the MHPSS Hub and Cátia and Guleed explains the challenges but also the major advantages of conducting MHPSS trainings regionally.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, through four interviews, Communications Officer Jesper Guhle explores the MHPSS programmes and services provided by Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies across the African region. 

Interviewees:

In the podcast, a  Community of Practice for Red Cross Red Crescent MHPSS focal points in the African region is being mentioned. For more information about the Community of Practice, contact MHPSS specialist Guleed Dualeh, gudua@rodekors.dk

In this episode we will talk about the Sport Coach+ initiative implemented in a partnership between the MHPSS Hub and the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF). The initiative aims to create trauma informed and healing centered sports environments for young athletes between the ages of 10 and 24 with a focus on those with a background of displacement. The first phase of the initiative focused on youth affected by forced displacement within and out of Ukraine and it was implemented across ten European countries and so far a total of 1400 coaches and trainers have been trained. The initiative is implemented in cooperation...

This episode of Heartbeat of Humanity is the fourth and last episode in a mini-series about the mental health of children and young adults in the contexts of emergencies or conflict with child and adolescent psychiatrist Brett McDermott.

In this episode, MHPSS Adviser Arz Stephan talks to Brett  about who among children  and adolescents - or people in general - need further support following a natural hazard.

Brett is an Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is head of Tasmania’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and professor at the University of Tasmania. 

Bre...

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Adviser Arz Stephan talks to Brett McDermott about how parents and caregivers can help children get through the first year after a natural hazard.

Brett is an Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is head of Tasmania’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and professor at the University of Tasmania. 

Brett has led several post-disaster programs in Australia to better support young people experiencing the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms. His approach has influenced post-disaster interventions globally.

Brett is currently a visiting sch...

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Adviser Arz Stephan talks to Brett McDermott about how parents and teachers can help children after a natural hazard.

Brett is an Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is head of Tasmania’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and professor at the University of Tasmania. 

Brett has led several post-disaster programs in Australia to better support young people experiencing the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms. His approach has influenced post-disaster interventions globally.

Brett is currently a visiting scholar at the MHPSS hub. 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Adviser Arz Stephan talks to Brett McDermott about mental health, natural hazards and children. Brett is an Australian child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is head of Tasmania’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and professor at the University of Tasmania. 

Brett has led several post-disaster programs in Australia to better support young people experiencing the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms. His approach has influenced post-disaster interventions globally.

Brett is currently a visiting scholar at the MHPSS hub. 

This episode of Heartbeat of Huma...

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Monia Aebersold and Kristofer Vernmark explains the concept and the benefits of digital MHPSS and present the digital MHPSS toolkit availble on the MHPSS Hub website.

Monia is the MHPSS Project Manager in charge of psychosocial support services at the Swiss Red Cross with 20 years of experience in the field of displacement and migration. She holds a Master degree in Social Work and Social Development and she is Head of the Sui SRK App project, a digital service providing psychological and psychosocial support to refugees

Kristofer is a...

In this third and final episode in a podcast series about ‘feeling responsible for the safety of colleagues in a shrinking humanitarian space’ MHPSS Hub, Senior Communication Officer, Villads Zahle interviews Team Lead for the Technical Unit at the MHPSS Hub, Sarah Harrison.

Almost 300 aid workers were killed in 2024 – the largest number in history. Additionally, more than 220 were wounded and more than 90 kidnapped.

These dire numbers reflect a shrinking humanitarian space. A situation worsening over the last decade where it is increasingly challenging to deliver aid unhindered and safely.  This has serious direct implications for humanit...

In this second of three episodes in a series about ‘feeling responsible for the safety of colleagues in a shrinking humanitarian space’ MHPSS Hub, Senior Communication Officer, Villads Zahle interviews former Communication Team lead for a large humanitarian INGO, Iben de Neergaard.

Almost 300 aid workers were killed in 2024 – the largest number in history. Additionally, more than 220 were wounded and more than 90 kidnapped. 

These dire numbers reflect a shrinking humanitarian space. A situation worsening over the last decade where it is increasingly challenging to deliver aid unhindered and safely.  This has serious direct implications for humanitarian staff an...

In this first of three episodes in a series about 'feeling responsible for the safety of colleagues in a shrinking humanitarian space' MHPSS Hub, Senior Communication Officer, Villads Zahle interviews Danish Red Cross, Senior Security Adviser, Sabina Brimson. 

Almost 300 aid workers were killed in 2024 – the largest number in history. Additionally, more than 220 were wounded and more than 90 kidnapped. 

These dire numbers reflect a shrinking humanitarian space. A situation worsening over the last decade where it is increasingly challenging to deliver aid unhindered and safely.  

This has serious direct implications for humanitarian staff and volun...

In this third and final episode of our miniseries on Ambiguous Loss, we dig deep with Roubina Tahmazian from ICRC into the critical yet often overlooked topic of children’s wellbeing in the context of families of the missing. Too often, the needs and emotional wellbeing of children are sidelined as families grapple with the uncertainty and challenges of missing loved ones, with no or very limited support from the surrounding. 

Roubina Tahmazian, clinical psychologist and MHPSS delegate for the ICRC , shares her insights drawn from her experience working with families of the missing across different countries. Her...

In this second episode in a three part miniseries about ambiguous loss, MHPSS Technical Advisor Arz Stefan talks to Dr. Maureen Mooney about operationalising ambiguous loss in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

Dr. Maureen Mooney is a clinical psychologist. She worked in the French Red Cross and the ICRC supporting the Restoring Family Links programme and psychosocial integration.

In this first episode in a three part miniseries about ambiguous loss, Red Cross Red Crescent Movement Hub MHPSS Technical Advisor Arz Stephan engages in a thought-provoking interview with Dr. Pauline Boss, an esteemed research therapist and author. Dr. Boss is widely recognized as a pioneering figure in the field of ambiguous loss, a concept she introduced to describe the unique and often unresolved experienced when a loved one is missing, physically absent but emotionally present, or vice versa. Her groundbreaking work has shaped understanding and therapeutic approaches to loss, resilience, and coping in complex and uncertain situations.
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In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks with Associate Professor Emmanual Raju from the University of Copenhagen about the role of memory in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and recovery and how memories of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami influenced DRR work in India.

This is the final episode in a four-part series of Heartbeat of Humanity reflecting on the impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.  

Resources mentioned in the podcast: 

In this episode, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks with Professor Emeritus Mike Wessells from Columbia University about developments in MHPSS programming and practice following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis, including the development of the IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings. 

This is the third episode in a four-part series of Heartbeat of Humanity reflecting on the impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis. 

Resources mentioned in the podcast:
IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings

This is the second episode in a four-part series of Heartbeat of Humanity reflecting on the impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.  

In this episode, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks with Ananda Galappatti, co-founder and co-Director of MHPSS.net about the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on MHPSS work in Sri Lanka and the legacy of this work on global MHPSS practice. 

Resources mentioned in the podcast: 

This is the first episode in a four-part series of Heartbeat of Humanity reflecting on the impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.   

In this episode, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks with Dr Dewindra Widiamurti, Regional Health Program Delegate with the Finnish Red Cross, about her experiences working in Aceh Province with Pelang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross) after the 2004 tsunami, her reflections on MHPSS practice at the time, and how this work shaped her career. 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Ahlem Cheffi, PS Centre MHPSS technical advisor for the MENA region explains the concept of supportive supervision. 

Supportive supervision is a safe, supportive, confidential and collaborative relationship between a supervisor and supervisee, and/or supervisees where supervisees can voice their difficulties, discuss challenges and be recognized for their successes, receive constructive feedback and emotional support, and build their technical skills and capacity, and enhance quality of service provision.

For the World Mental Health Day, it is important de remember that supportive supervision is part of duty of care t...

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Ahlem Cheffi, PS Centre MHPSS technical advisor for the MENA region talks to Nisreen Qawas, MHPSS director for the Palestinian Red Crescent and Rim Alsakkaf, Psychosocial Support and Protection manager at the Yemeni Red Crescent about Caring for staff and volunteers when the workplace is a warzone. 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks to Antonia Mackay about how communities can build resilience to climate disasters and other shocks and hazards.

Antonia Mackay is the National Resilience Manager at Australian Red Cross, where she leads the organisation's disaster resilience programming, including key initiatives like emergencyRedi workshops and Redicommunities.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:
Navigating the climate crisis: Mental health and well-being report https://pscentre.org/resource/navigating-the-climate-crisis-mental-health-and-well-being/

Practical help and resources to use before, during and after emergencies
https://www.redcross.org...

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks to Ana Mejia about mental health and the climate crisis.

Ana Mejia is a former member of the Youth Advisory Group of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and a volunteer from the Ecuadorian Red Cross. Ana leads a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support team in the local Red Cross branch and she recently started to work as a consultant with the health team of the Red Cross Climate Centre.
 
Resources mentioned in the podcast:
https://www.ipcc.c...

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks to John Richardson about disaster preparedness, disaster resilience and disaster risk reduction. And why it is a problem calling fires, floods and storms ‘natural disasters’.
 
 John Richardson is the Manager of Knowledge Development at the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Prior to his current role, John worked as the National Resilience Advisor with Australian Red Cross for more than 16 years. 

English text below

Dans cet épisode de Heartbeat of Humanity, Arz Stephan, conseiller technique SMSPSS, s’entretient avec Ahlem Cheffi, conseillère technique de SMSPS, sur les concepts de « dilemme éthique » et de « blessure morale » et sur leur impact sur les travailleurs humanitaires, y compris le personnel et les bénévoles de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge, qui font souvent partie des premiers intervenants. 

Une blessure morale est définie comme une détresse psychologique qui peut survenir dans le cadre du travail humanitaire, à la suite d’une exposition à des événements potentiellement moralement préjudiciables qui r...