Safe Haven Intervention
About The Research
Safe Haven is a near peer youth lay counselor (NPYLC) led intervention that aims to address the needs of youths living with HIV and experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms of common mental disorders in Botswana. Safe Haven is an adaptation of the Friendship Bench program developed in 2006, in Zimbabwe. It engages trained youth community members and utilizes the properties of problem solving therapy to support young people showing symptoms of mild-to-moderate depression, anxiety, or substance use.
Dr. Ohemaa Poku, a core faculty member of the Columbia-WHO Center for Global Mental Health, leads collaborative work to advance the Safe Haven intervention initiatives, as well as develop, and execute joint research on the mental health of youths both at risk for and living with HIV in Botswana. Since its first analysis in 2020 and 2021, the Safe Haven pilot has shown promise to serve mild and moderately symptomatic youth in communities where mental health professionals are scarce through youth-friendly services that combine efforts with trained peers.
