Zimbabwe’s ‘Friendship Bench’ Offers Blueprint for Mental Health Treatment Across Africa

Doctors say mental health problems are a hidden crisis in much of Africa, but lay health workers in Zimbabwe have been offering private therapy sessions on the grounds of clinics across Harare. A trial conducted by the University of Zimbabwe, along with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and King’s College London, shows the therapy has led to a big improvement in mental health. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the treatment could be a blueprint for tackling mental health in Africa.

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