Toolkit and Information Guide for Community Psychosocial Support Workers

The Toolkit for Community Psychosocial Support (PSS) Workers is a compilation of tools for delivering services to children and adults in Sierra Leone. Drawn from all regions of Sierra Leone, the toolkit provides frontline PSS workers with a range of tools or exercises/methods that can be used to help people relax and cope better with stress, support people to feel more connected, resolve conflicts, talk about forgiveness, heal and share emotions, and deal with loss and grief.  It can be used by social workers, religious leaders, and women’s groups, and youth leaders.  As explained in the toolkit, “Psychosocial support refers to any type of local or outside support that helps with people’s psychosocial well-being and mental health. This Toolkit focusses on community psychosocial support, which is aimed at helping people who are facing difficult situations. Treating mental disorders is something that goes beyond the scope of this Toolkit.”

Although the idea for the Toolkit arose during the Ebola outbreak of 2014/2015, the Toolkit is not limited to the care of Ebola survivors and their families. The tools and skills provided are meant to be used if other crises arise in Sierra Leone, as well as for projects that have nothing to do with Ebola.

PSS tools include:

• Tools to strengthen relationships such as the Community Mapping Exercise, Gratitude Pairs, Changing Perspectives, and Circle of Joy.
• Tools to feel calm and relaxed such as breathing exercises, and methods such as the Tree Pose Exercise and Loving Kindness Exercise.
• Tools to cope with loss and grief such as Bridge of Hope and The Bowl of Possibilities/Wishing Well.

Accompanying the Toolkit is an Information Guide for Community PSS Workers, providing information that will enable PSS workers to understand the technical sections of the Toolkit in more detail. The Information Guide will also support local organisations working on PSS to provide technical guidance to community workers for using the Toolkit and to further promote psychosocial wellbeing and heightened resilience in Sierra Leone.

It contains the following sections:

• Part 1 - Psychosocial Support: The Basics - includes a definition of PSS and the core principles, and explores the issue of confidentiality.
• Part 2 – PSS Referral and Assessments: offers guidance on when and how to refer, and how to conduct mental health and psychosocial needs assessments.
• Part 3 – PSS Best Communication Practices: includes avoiding stigma by using the correct language, and key concepts and helpful definitions for communicating effectively with people who have been affected by a crisis.
• Part 4 - Deeper Communication: includes a breakdown of the stages of assisted coping,  and resources for helping people to think through their challenges and problem solve.
• Part 5 – PSS Group Work: includes a step-by-step process of group-based work and reflective listening.