Virtual Crisis Interventions

About Education

With the aim of contributing to protection and reducing the negative impact of the current health crisis on mental health and wellbeing of children, adolescents and their parents, BHIDAPA began on 21.5.2020 with the education Virtual Crisis Interventions “Here & Now” in cooperation with UNICEF BiH and with the support of USAID.

The education aims to empower professionals from mental health centers, social work centers and educational institutions in the application of virtual/telephone crisis interventions in work with children, young people and families while respecting child protection standards, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The education lasting 2 months is based on an integrative-holistic and humanistic approach, salutogenically oriented and enables the creation and provision of multidisciplinary intersectoral teams for providing virtual crisis interventions, now and in the future in crisis situations. The leaders of the education program are members and associates of the professional multidisciplinary team of BHIDAPA.

We thank the Project partners for their support:

• UNICEF BiH in cooperation with USAID,
• Ministry of Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
• Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Republika Srpska,
• Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of FBiH,
• Ministry of Education and Science of FBiH.

Thank you to all colleagues involved in the project for their exceptional interest and active participation.

Problem Identification and Response

The situation caused by the coronavirus, the introduction of movement restriction measures, school closures, transition to online teaching, working from home, has caused children and adolescents to find themselves in a specific and new situation. The difficulties their parents encounter such as high levels of stress caused by the newly emerged health crisis, job loss, working from home, poverty and social exclusion, affect children directly. Restrictive measures due to the coronavirus could lead to a significant increase in domestic violence, and focus should be directed toward prevention and raising public and professional awareness about the danger of increased domestic violence during isolation, violence against children, abuse and neglect. Based on the small number of existing research studies on the impact of quarantine and isolation on mental health, it can be concluded that an increased number of people with mental health difficulties can be expected. Children and adolescents are particularly at risk, due to developmental specificities and vulnerability. Analogously, it is necessary to strengthen professionals and provide the necessary virtual/telephone professional help to children and their parents.

Response to the Situation

BHIDAPA is able with its multidisciplinary professional team and associates to realize specific education/training: Virtual Crisis Interventions “Here & Now”, the application of virtual/telephone crisis interventions and treatment, intended for professionals in social work centers, mental health centers, schools.

This education aims to empower professionals in the application of virtual/telephone crisis interventions in work with children, young people and families while respecting child protection standards.

Specifically created education/training Virtual Crisis Interventions “Here & Now” for comprehensive training on crisis interventions is based on an integrative-holistic and humanistic approach, salutogenically oriented, according to the Model of preventive programs of “Healthy Development” in professional and educational spaces (Lindstom, B., Eriksson, M., Wikstrom, P., 2014, adapted, Badurina, 2016).

Education-training enables the creation and provision of multidisciplinary and intersectoral teams for providing virtual crisis interventions, and in the future in crisis situations with the aim of planning the provision of support to risk groups and mitigating negative consequences, as well as monitoring and timely intervention.

Program Implementation Dynamics