Mental Health/Psychosocial Care

Total health consists not just of physical well-being but also mental health — encompassing the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral states of an individual. Without attention to this dimension, the general goal of wholeness cannot be achieved.

The Africa Centre for Health Leadership (ACHL) recognizes the vital role of mental and psychosocial health in achieving overall well-being. Through its Psychosocial Care and Health Counseling Program, ACHL provides affordable counseling and mental health support for all who need it.

What We Do

Working with volunteer counselors, clinical psychologists, and social workers, ACHL offers a wide range of mental health and counseling services including:

Health counseling

Genetic counseling

HIV counseling and testing

Psychotherapy services

Rehabilitation and referral services

Of particular interest to ACHL are clients with chronic or highly stigmatized illnesses, those struggling with serious emotional problems, or those in stigmatized occupations or sexual orientations.

The program also serves survivors of serious accidents, gender-based violence, bomb blasts, floods, fire disasters, and other emergencies. Intending couples and relations of persons facing emotional challenges are also among our clients.

Program Objectives

The Mental Health and Psychosocial Care Program aims to:

Provide psychosocial and health counseling to clients in health care settings, at home, or through ACHL service outlets.

Focus on mental health issues affecting youth, women, children, and the elderly.

Implement various strategies to promote optimal mental health in communities and prevent mental illness and other health conditions arising from poor coping mechanisms.

Make appropriate referrals to health institutions or experts to address complex mental health challenges.

Create opportunities for enlightenment and continuing education of health professionals, their clients, and community members on the importance of psychosocial counseling and other mental health interventions through seminars, workshops, and community dialogues.

Partnerships & Collaboration

The program seeks collaboration with hospitals, parastatals, and organizations to achieve the following:

Referral of eligible patients and clients to access ACHL’s services
Collaboration von health personnel training and re-orientation to integrate psychosocial care into health service delivery
Joint sensitization activities with communities on mental health and social well-being
Exchange of staff and resource persons to facilitate psychosocial and mental health education programs
Conducting needs assessments, operational research, and other studies aimed at improving access to quality psychosocial services