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Organisation
World Health Organization

STARS is a guided, digital chatbot (conversational agent) intervention based on cognitive behavioral therapy to support young people in managing their distress. The intervention consists of 10 brief lessons, each taking approximately 20 minutes to complete. During the lessons offered by the chatbot users learn several self-help strategies, including psychoeducation, emotion regulation, behavioral activation, problem management, thought challenging, and relapse prevention. A ‘toolbox’ provides support files such as stress management audios and short video clips, and information on other sources of MHPSS. In addition to the chatbot, users are offered five weekly calls of approximately 15 minutes by a trained non-specialist

Objective
To support young people in managing their distress.

Read more: https://www.researchprotocols.org/2024/1/e54585

Link: https://www.migesplus.ch/publikationen/sui-app

National Society
Swiss Red Cross

The app is aimed primarily at refugees living in Switzerland. It contains 9 chapters with information about life in Switzerland: asylum procedure, residence status, family reunification, finances, housing, health care system, work / education, social integration and general health. This information is linked to low-threshold psychoeducational content and psychological exercises divided into six chapters: stress, audio exercises, sleep, chronic pain, resources and emotion regulation. The
users choose topics relevant to them in their current life situation. In addition, users receive in-app support via chat in their native language from trained and supervised peer guides.

The app is publicly available in German and Arabic. Until the end of 2025 it will be gradually released in other languages like French, English, Farsi/Dari, Ukrainian and Turkish.

Objective
Sui provides digital psychological and psychosocial support. The main objective is an improvement of the wellbeing of refugees with and without mental health diseases, but who are exposed to post-migratory stressors.

Further objectives are:

• Strengthened health literacy
• Improved action competence, coping skills and self-efficacy
• Reduced symptom burdens in everyday life through exercises around emotion, problem and stress management
• Reduced self-stigmatisation
• Lowered barriers on the side of the target group to seeking professional help
• Increased sense of control and security in dealing with postmigratory life stressors thanks to relevant information and referrals to existing support services

Link: https://www.jugendrotkreuz.at/kindergarten-schule-lernen/psychische-erste-hilfe

National Society
Austrian Youth Red Cross

An online network-meetings with different topics regarding the mental health of children and youth are taking place four times a year and aim to support teachers and other caretakers in coping with challenges regarding the mental health of their cared-for children and youth. Every network-meeting stands in the light of a specific topic, which is presented by an expert in the specific field, for example: suicidality, self-harming behavior, eating disorders or addiction. Teachers and other caregivers can learn more about the different challenges in mental health of their children and youth and get the possibility to discuss practical questions with an expert, as well as with other caretakers.

Objective
Teachers and other caregivers have the opportunity to learn more about specific topics regarding mental health in children and youth. The main objective is to gain a feeling of competence and safety in coping with mental health problems of their children and youth.

Link: https://www.jugendrotkreuz.at/freizeit-jugendarbeit/time4friendshttps://dwmatters.eu/

National Society
Austrian Youth RedCross

For educating young people to participate in the project as peers, there is an annually basic training with a duration of five days, where youths between the ages 15 and 19 learn all the necessary skills to provide high quality support through the chat interaction. Furthermore there is a continued  training for gathering more advanced knowledge and skills once a year. Beyond the annual trainings, the peers receive guidance by a trained psychologist and take part in supervision sessions four
times a year to reflect on their counselling and to talk about specific challenges during the chat conversations.

Objectives
To provide high quality peer-to-peer support for the everyday struggles of children and youth.

Links:

https://cri.it/piazzetta-cri/https://dwmatters.eu/

https://cri.it/supporto-psicologico/

National Society
Italian Red Cross

“Piazzetta CRI” is part of a broader initiative aimed at promoting mental health and providing psychosocial support to individuals already receiving assistance through the telephone psychology support hotline. Originally launched in 2023, the project initially targeted two age groups: 18-35 and 65+. However, with its continuation from mid 2024, the target audience shifted to focus on individuals aged 50-83.

The project aims to support participants in forming meaningful connections, fostering a sense of community, and reducing feelings of loneliness or social isolation. The activities are led by professional psychologists and psychotherapists.

Link to training: https://dwmatters.eu/

Organisation
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA), the Netherlands

The Doing What Matters in times of stress (DWM) digital smartphone intervention, is a stress management guide for coping with adversity made freely available via a website that can be accessed on a smartphone, tablet or computer. DWM is an adaptation of an illustrated self-help stress management guide developed by WHO as part of the Self-Help Plus (SH+) program. DWM consists of five modules covering mindfulness-based strategies for managing stress. DWM uses audio practices and exercises.

DWM has been proven effective in reducing psychological distress in research among healthcare workers and refugees with increased distress. 

Organisation
World Health Organization

Step-by-Step (SbS) is a brief, evidence-based, online self-help intervention for depression Step-by-Step. It is based on behavioural activitation, stress management and other techniques. It comprises five weekly modules and can be offered guided or unguided. In the unguided version people complete the intervention entirely independently. In guided SbS people receive weekly 15 minutes support from a trained and supervised non-specialist. SbS can be adapted for use in different formats and contexts.

As a WHO intervention, the Step-by-Step content and instructions for set up and running it will be published as open access in 2025. Implementers can then use the content to run on any digital platform. For example, current implementations of Step-by-Step include as an app in Lebanon and as a What’s App program in India.

Objective
To support people with depressive symptoms.

For more information contact:
psych_interventions@who.int