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Humanitarian intervention is international endeavours often responding to a human induced crisis. Literature exists on the ethics, legalities and history of humanitarian intervention. Although, there are a great deal of publications on humanitarian intervention including guidelines and best practice, and evidence-based research and practice in the field, there is a paucity of work examining teaching and training of humanitarian professionals. The article discusses the need for specialist training aimed at developing humanitarian professionals and more specifically psychosocial practitioners in the field. A discussion of the role and the importance of decolonization within the sector and training programs is also presented. The paper then introduces a distance learning training delivered at the University of East London, informed by psychological theory and practice, aimed at supporting students with the development of multidisciplinary skills and competencies for working in the sector. The paper also examines various key components of the program, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity is a complex concept that can be informed by various factors, involving biological, psychological, experiential, and social influences. Specifically, one's social identity refers to the ways in which individuals can adopt attributes from established collective categories, like cultural identities, ethnic identities, gender identities, and class identities, amongst others. Social identity can encompass unique and diverse interactions at an individual level, known as micro-identities, that may be selectively expressed, hidden, or downplayed, contingent on distinct sociocultural settings. However, the formation of social identity is recurrently defined in opposition to perceptions of the Other, which can entail adverse paradigms of marginalisation, stigma, and discrimination. Although this theory of Otherness has been developed across different fields, particularly sociology, it may be important in psychiatric contexts as it can engender inherent risk factors and mental health inequalities. Consequently, this paper seeks to bring attention towards these issues, exploring the construction of Otherness and its detrimental outcomes for psychiatry, such as systemic discrimination and disparities in therapeutic support, alongside recommended initiatives to mitigate against the effects of Otherness. This may require multifactorial approaches that include cultural competency training, interventions informed by micro-identities and intersectionality, patient advocacy, and structural changes to mental health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disasters invariably result in a surge in demand for mental health services, and this surge quickly exceeds available mental health resources. The pursuit of alternative sources of psychological support for communities adversely affected by disasters has therefore been necessitated. This paper describes the application of an awarding-winner, empirically validated, model for psychological support and its applicability for enhancing community disaster mental health resources that are consistent with United Nations' recommendations for a "whole society" approach to disaster mental health. The model utilises the concept of peer-based psychological support. Peer psychological support is defined as the utilisation of individuals specially trained in the provision of acute psychological crisis interventions and psychological first aid, but who do not possess professional-level training or licensure in one of the mental health disciplines. These peer-based crisis intervention services may be delivered telephonically, via the internet, or face-to-face. This model, referred to as Reciprocal Peer Support (RPS), is the peer support activity provided at Rutgers University Behavioural HealthCare (UBHC) National Center for Peer Support in a variety of peer programs. More than 20 years of peer support interventions have been reviewed and assessed to clarify the lessons learned for the application of RPS as a prime exemplar for the utilization of peer support during and after a disaster. The Cop 2 Cop, NJ Vet 2 Vet, and several other UBHC peer support programs, which conform to best practices criteria, have been created, sustained, and expanded based on the RSP principles discussed in this article. RPS and derivative applications for human-made disasters such as the terrorist events of 9/11/2001 as well as natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina or the COVID- 19 pandemic represent platforms for the implementation of peer psychological support and the establishment of a peer-based continuum of psychological connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]