Innovation details
StrongMinds provides free, group talk therapy to low-income and marginalized women and adolescents in Africa using group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G). IPT-G is a form of talk therapy that emphasizes relationships as the root of – and source of recovery for – depression. IPT-G is well-studied in low- and middle-income countries and is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first-line depression intervention in resource-poor settings.
Our group therapy is available in person or by phone. In groups, members find safe spaces to open up with peers about their worries and struggles. Over 8-12 sessions, counselors guide structured discussions to help participants identify the underlying triggers of their depression and examine how their current relationships and depression are linked. Together, they strategize solutions to their problems, learn coping mechanisms, practice interpersonal skills, and identify support structures that they can continue to lean on after therapy ends.
Members work together to form solutions for overcoming their challenges, developing strong social bonds in the process. Since depression is episodic and recurrent throughout most people’s lives, these newly acquired skills have immediate and long-term impacts on the individual.
IPT-G sessions are divided into three phases, each with distinct objectives:
1. Initial Phase: This phase focuses on building trust and rapport among group members, so they feel comfortable opening up with one another.
2. Middle Phase: This phase ensures that all members are actively engaged in discussion and collective problem-solving. Participants learn to fully understand the symptoms and triggers of depression.
3. Termination Phase: By this stage, most participants have experienced a substantial reduction in the severity of their depression symptoms. As they prepare for the end of formal sessions, each will form a plan to identify and mitigate triggers in the future to prevent recurring depressive episodes.
The innovation does not require the use of modern-day medications to treat depression –a fact that is quite important since access to such medication is limited and costly for most of the African population. Instead, our treatment uses an evidence-based, cost-effective, culturally adept, scalable, self-sustaining model to treat one of Africa’s most underprioritized illnesses.
StrongMinds achieves sustainability by identifying and training former clients and local health workers to facilitate StrongMinds therapy groups in their communities to further spread the seeds of good mental health. We also work with governments and NGOs to layer mental health services into existing livelihood, food security, healthcare, and education programs to scale our reach and enhance outcomes for program participants.
