Webinar: Mental health and well-being and the psychosocial dimensions of peacebuilding
This webinar organized by the Red Cross Red Crescent Research Network brings together Dr. Eric Frasco and Dr. Katrien Hertog to explore how mental health and psychosocial support shape—and are shaped by—peacebuilding processes.
We will aim to answer key questions about this connection, including:
- How do mental health and psychosocial support influence the effectiveness and sustainability of peacebuilding efforts?
- What role do community‑based and participatory approaches play in addressing trauma, social division, and cycles of violence in conflict‑affected settings?
- How can integrating psychosocial perspectives improve programs aimed at preventing violent, supporting mediation, or strengthening social cohesion?
This session will be moderated by Dr. Yasin Duman, a research specialist at the MHPSS Hub.
Dr. Eric Frasco (University College London)
Dr. Eric Frasco is a political scientist and global health researcher whose work explores the psychosocial dimensions of conflict, marginalisation, and peacebuilding. Trained in Community and Political Psychology, he studies relationships between social groups, the links between mental health and peace processes, and how different forms of violence shape social division. His research is grounded in bottom‑up, participatory approaches, informed by his own experience as a service‑user advocate. He works extensively with participatory action research, ethnographic and narrative methods, and creative, community‑driven practices. He is the co-author of Reconstructing theory in mental health and psychosocial support and peacebuilding: Towards an integrated model for psychosocial peacebuilding.
Dr. Katrien Hertog (International Association for Human Values)
Dr. Katrien Hertog is a peacebuilding researcher, trainer, and practitioner with 25 years of experience across academia and the NGO sector. As Director of Peacebuilding Programs at IAHV, she has been a leading voice in developing and promoting psychosocial peacebuilding (PSPB) in policy and practice. She designs and implements programs on preventing violent extremism, trauma relief, mediation support, and peacebuilder training. Dr. Hertog has trained more than 2,500 individuals—including prisoners, refugees, security forces, and frontline workers—across Europe, the Middle East, and the North Caucasus. She also oversees major EU‑funded peace and resilience initiatives and coordinates IAHV’s refugee programs, reaching over 25,000 people. She is the author of The Complex Reality of Religious Peacebuilding and Psychosocial Peacebuilding: A Guide into the Heart of Sustainable Peace.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join:https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/37969539144161?p=msMAWviu2T6YZjqHDB
Meeting ID:379 695 391 441 61
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