MHI's Quarterly Newsletter
MHI INITIATIVES
BridgeTheCareGap: Lobbying for Social Change
MHI spearheaded a national campaign 'Bridge The Care Gap' that advocated for effective implementation of India's Mental Health Care Act. Garnering support from over 50 organisations and securing 10,000+ signatures via an online petition—the campaign successfully influenced two political parties to include mental health in their manifestos.
A deep-dive into how campaigners advocated effectively
Queering Mental Health
Recognising the need for affirmative, non-discriminatory, anti-oppressive mental health care services for sexual minorities—MHI initiated Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP), a six-day training module for mental health practitioners. QACP enables mental health professionals to reorient themselves to an anti-oppressive therapeutic practice. The training covers both perspective building to recognise inequalities and their impact on mental health and also provides tools and techniques to address distress and promote well-being of LGBTQ persons. Over 60 mental health practitioners have completed a 6-day QACP training program across three cities, thus far.
Read a participant's account of the training
FEATURED PARTNER
MHI's newest partner 'Ya_All' is a Manipur-based, youth-led and youth-focused collective that strives to create a support system for easy access to information and services in health, education and sexuality for adolescents and youth who identify as queer — given their vulnerability to mental health concerns, substance abuse and suicide. MHI funds Ya_All's youth and queer-friendly health resource hub/drop-in centre, where mental health care services are provided, free of cost, through queer-friendly counsellors and mental health professionals. The resource centre also serves as an informal space for youth who identify as queer to interact with each other and build a support system and peer-network.
Please read more about the innovative field projects MHI is funding:
Basic Needs India | CEHAT | Burans | Ya_All | Schizophrenia Awareness Association
“We've doubled our partners in this quarter! Please read more about the innovative field projects MHI is funding”
INSIGHTS
How a guerrilla campaign made history by pushing mental health into Cong, CPM’s election manifestos. The Economic Times writes a thought piece on MHI's 'Bridge the Care Gap' campaign that lobbied political parties to commit to the implementation of the Mental Health Care Act. Read more
How the Bombay High Court is Prioritising Mental Health. The Quint writes on 'Project Sukoon' an MHI-funded mental health initiative that provides mental health services within India's legal system. Sukoon is a low-resource, scalable model of mental health care provision that uses a rights-based, feminist approach. Read more
Pune centre builds awareness, stands up to the stigma around schizophrenia. Newz Hook writes on MHI partner Schizophrenia Awareness Association and the work being done for persons living with Schizophrenia. Read more
Elections 2019: Bringing Mental Health Into India's Political Conversations. The Wire writes on how MHI's Bridge the Care Gap campaign ensured that mental health found a place within the manifestos of political parties.Read more
UPCOMING INITIATIVES
ReFrame 2019: Call for Submissions
ReFrame, a journal by the Mariwala Health Initiative is a platform to challenge existing norms and explore diverse voices within the mental health space — expanding horizons for who gets to participate in such conversations in an effort to firmly ground mental health in a contextual, intersectional, rights-based, intersectoral framework. It is envisioned as a tool for mental health practitioners, advocates, activists, scholars, students, experts, funders, government officials and non-profit organizations — and those from closely allied sectors. Please read more details on this year's theme and submission guidelines.