Friendship bench

[2][3][4][5] Friendship Bench offers what has been seen as an effective, simple, cost-effective option to provide evidence-based mental health care in under-resourced settings.

Without any prior medical or mental health experience, each Grandmother or equivalent CHW goes through eight days of training in a structured problem-solving based approach[7] which emphasizes listening skills, empathy, connection and a non-judgemental attitude along with steps to generating a SMART action plan and delivery of a screening tool.

In this way, as described in the Friendship Bench Randomized Control Trial published in JAMA in 2016: ...the problem-solving therapy steps help clients identify a problem (eg, unemployment) rather than get a diagnosis.

The psychological approach of problem-solving therapy works through enabling a more positive orientation toward resolving problems and empowering people to have a sense of greater coping and control over their lives.

[7]After the one-on-one talk therapy, Friendship Bench clients are introduced to a peer led support group known as Circle Kubatana Tose (CKT), meaning "holding hands together".