Psychosocial Support And Community Wellness (PSSCW): A certification course

Psychosocial Support and Community Wellness (PSSCW):

We, at Focusing Initiatives International, believe that each of us is intimately connected to our community and that our own wellness is reflected in and responds to the wellness of the community as a whole. That is what psychosocial support (PSS) is all about–the healing of the individual and their community–by enhancing wellness skill sets for both.

Our program’s heart-centered approach blends self-care (for the aid worker and their target populations) with a variety of techniques for engaging communities in self-discovery that lead to individual and collective healing and resilience.

This course is specifically designed to help PSS workers in NGOs and CBOs facilitate healing, positive change and peace in communities in distress. Based on over 30 years field experience in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Japan, Liberia, the Middle East and Mexico, our modules will lead you through activities that: 

• improve community connections
• identify local paths to resilience to address local problems
• explore spiritual connections that can strengthen inner lives
• bring self-care into your own life

We welcome everyone who wants to experience the field of Psychosocial Support. You may attend the classes and actively participate as you wish.

1 Module each month

• We will meet together once a month to introduce each new module, discuss concepts and define activities for that month (attendance required for certification)
• Each month participants will also be able to attend an open forum to discuss topics, problem solve and share PSSCW experiences (attendance optional). Date to be announced.

Certification is available based on the following:

• Participant writes a formal request to Focusing Initiatives and receives approval
• Payment of  US$200 course fee (scholarships can be negotiated)
• Participant completes 80% of the reading, coursework and activities in each module

Upon approval by the instructors, the participant will be given access to the all  reading assignments and activity materials through our online course platform. Assignment results will be shared with the course instructors by email or on the course platform.