The Friendship Bench is an organization that started in Zimbabwe in an attempt to help and support people who have limited access to mental health resources. The concept is simple; a trained lay health worker who sits with the participant on a bench, listens to them, and helps them find solutions to all that is weighing on their minds. The program has been gaining a lot of praise for its simplicity as it can be a revolutionary mental health project worldwide.
The History Of The Friendship Bench Program
The Friendship Bench program began about two decades ago. Dixon Chibanda, a psychiatrist in Zimbabwe, lost a patient tragically to suicide because she could not access any mental health resources in her village or afford the travelling fee to see him. Chibanda was struck by this accident, and it made him dedicate most of his time to finding a way in which he could help as many people as possible despite their financial, cultural, or geographical barriers.
Chibanda wanted to create a program in which people could feel the utmost comfort, respect, and empathy with the health workers who would be helping them. And for this, he realized that no one can be more caring, loving, and empathetic than grandmothers. They are a treasure in communities. So, he recruited grandmothers, trained them, and finally launched the program.
At first, Chibanda suggested naming the program ‘Mental Health Bench,’ but the grandmothers chimed in and thought it would be less intimidating and more inviting to name it the ‘Friendship Bench.’ In addition to that, they proposed using a language that is not strictly clinical, as people in Zimbabwe might have a hard time expressing themselves in that way because they are not familiar with it. So, for example, when talking about depression or anxiety, they use the Shona word “Kufungisisa,” which means thinking too much. This made it easier for participants to talk about their mental struggles as they were using words that were part of their everyday dialect.
How Does It Function?
The Friendship Bench program provides Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, with a specific focus on Problem-Solving Therapy and peer-led group support. The patient will first be screened through the Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-14), and their score will decide the next step.
Normally, they are to receive one-on-one problem-solving therapy in which the participants learn how to approach their problems with a healthier mindset that aims to find solutions to their issues in a less stressful manner. The entire process is conducted in an outside, discreet, and safe place on a park bench. As for cases that require a higher level of care, the trainers are instructed to direct them to a referral pathway.
The following step is the peer-led support group that is called Circle Kubatana Tose (CKT), which means holding hands together. The participants get to meet other people who share the same societal backgrounds and share and listen to their stories. All in an empathetic, empowering, and judgment-free zone. Being part of this group aids the participants to comprehend that they are not alone on the battlefield and that they can help others, too, by merely listening and empathizing.
A Phenomenal Impact
In 2016, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a research paper on the Friendship Bench program. The research demonstrated that, after six months, some participants who had depression experienced better progress in the program compared to ones who were part of a therapy program with a professional.
Now, the program has been replicated in different locations across the globe such as Kenya, Vietnam, New York, and even Qatar in 2022 during the World Cup. In order to help eradicate the stigma that surrounds mental health and enlighten people about the role they can play in helping each other cope and overcome many of the mental struggles that so many people face.
Conclusion
Thankfully, there have been a lot of efforts all around the globe to highlight the importance of mental health and bring awareness to it. There is still a long way to go, but these are all steps in the right direction. The Friendship Bench program is one of these steps, and it is by far one of the most effective and accessible projects. May we see it replicated in every neighborhood, as nobody deserves to watch themselves crumble and not have the ability to seek help.
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