Do No Harm: Challenges in Organizing Psychosocial Support to Displaced People in Emergency Settings

Psychosocial assistance in emergencies plays an important role in alleviating suffering and promoting well-being, but it is often a source of unintended harm. A prerequisite for ethically appropriate support is awareness of how psychosocial programs may cause harm. This paper underscores the importance of attending to issues of coordination, dependency, politicization of aid, assessment, short-term assistance, imposition of outsider approaches, protection, and impact evaluation.

Key wordschildren / community crisis / internally displaced persons / mental health / psychosocial support / reconstruction / refugees

CountriesGlobal

CategoryPublication