Lay Therapist Effectiveness With Displaced Persons Kurdish Iraq: Promising Exploratory Results for Global Mental Health Access

Negative mental health effects of war exposure and displacement are pervasive, but many displaced persons and refugees in low-and-middle income countries lack access to evidence-based treatments. Community lay-therapists are a promising solution for the global mental health field. However, in spite of results from randomized-control trials, no research to-date has examined the external validity of community-led lay-therapist effectiveness. In this exploratory study, longitudinal data at three time points were collected from 28 Arabic-speaking displaced persons (nineteen women and nine men, ages 18-57) seeking mental health services from the Jiyan Foundation: a non-profit founded and based in Kurdish Iraq. Lay therapists trained in evidence-based treatments upon being hired operated largely independently of supervision from foreign clinicians. Participants in weekly psychotherapy completed the Posttraumatic Stress Checklist (PCL-5) and the Psychological Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at baseline, one month, and three months, as well as a modified measure assessing traumatic exposure, purpose-in-life, and a modified Afghan Daily Stressors Scale at baseline to assess for moderators of change over time.