We promote mental health, provide psychosocial support and contribute to school violence prevention
Learn about our support tools and strategies in countries
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Our approach
Children’s, adolescents’ and families’ psychosocial development and mental health are also affected during natural disasters and humanitarian crises.
Hence, we promote an intersectoral approach that encourages country-level responses to integrate the work of various sectors, including health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, social policies and child protection, among others.
Mental health promotion and psychosocial support
- UNICEF promotes children’s, adolescents’ and families’ mental and psychosocial health by providing them with opportunities to acquire knowledge, attitudes and practices that help them mitigate trauma and reduce long-term impacts on their lives.
- Our work aims to build resilience skills that allow children and adolescents to cope with stress during difficult times, helping them recognize its origin and effects to control it through lifestyle changes and stress management strategies.
- As part of students' training, these tools foster the ability to reassess their traumatic experiences from a positive perspective, to predict future difficulties and address them using coping strategies.
Prevention of bullying and school violence
Despite countries’ efforts, existing evidence shows the prevalence of widespread bullying and violence in educational environments, leading to negative impacts on students’ learning outcomes and physical and emotional integrity.
We encourage collaborative work between the child protection, health and education sectors to offer solutions and help ensure that schools are safe spaces during emergencies and teach students life skills, such as:
- managing emotions,
- respecting diversity,
- critical thinking,
- empathy, and communication.