Enhancing the abilities of mental healthcare workers for preventing and decreasing depression of adolescents in Lao PDR and Cambodia

          Adolescents in Laos and Cambodia face issues with depression, similar to global trends. Psychosocial therapy that has been widely accepted through both research and practice to reduce depression is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Studies have shown that CBT is effective for adolescents and can decrease depressive symptoms both immediately after therapy and in the follow-up period six months post-therapy (Garvik, Idsoe & Bru, 2014). There is a shortage of mental health professionals, particularly for adolescents (WHO, 2020). This issue is also present in Cambodia, where frontline public health personnel are the main workforce in mental health services (Saraceno et al., 2017). Given this situation, CBT, which can be taught and practiced under professional supervision, could help alleviate adolescent depression in both Lao PDR and Cambodia.

Project Objectives

 

1. To enhance public health personnel’s capacity to reduce adolescent depression.

 

2. To prevent and reduce depression in adolescents by using a CBT program entitled “Mind food to prevent and decrease depression program.”

A Project Implementation Plan are composed of 4 parts as follows,

 

1. Conduct 78 hours of theoretical training (in English) over 13 days, with 6 hours per day.

 

2. Trainees practice assessing depression in at least 5 individuals (12 hours over 2 weeks) and perform CBT-based therapy with at least 3 individuals (120 hours over 2 weeks) under academic supervision.

 

3. Trainees conduct CBT with at least 5 individuals (240 hours over 2 weeks), with discussions and consultations with Thai academic advisors via Zoom.

 

4. Trainees collect and document their CBT practice reports and submit them during evaluation.

          Public health personnel from Lao PDR and Cambodia (15 participants per country, 30 total) will be capable of assessing depression and implementing the Mind food to prevent and decrease depression program accurately, as designed.

 

Project Leader: Prof., Ph.D., RN, Darawan Thapinta, Faculty of Nursing