The Friendship Bench: Lessons from a Thousand Grandmothers
Traditional Workshop 1 - CANCELLED: The Friendship Bench: Lessons from a Thousand Grandmothers
Friday, June 26, 2026
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT
Location: Sierra B, 5th Floor
Earn 3 Credit
Keywords: CBT, Compassion, Depression Level of Familiarity: Basic Recommended Readings: Task sharing in psychotherapy (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glohj.2021.07.001) , Effect of a primary care based psychological intervention for common mental disorders JAMA (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.19102) , Why I train grandmothers to treat depression TED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cprp_EjVtwA , ,
Professor of Psychiatry & Global Mental Health The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
*CANCELLED* The Friendship Bench is a low-intensity brief psychological intervention delivered by trained community grandmothers in Zimbabwe and beyond. It is based on principles of CBT while being deeply rooted in local culture and knowledge. The workshop will touch on the healing power of community and how the model can be used to address a wide range of psychological issues.
Learning Objectives:
Describe Task-shifting.
Explain how non-professionals can contribute to narrowing the care gap in global mental health.
