Mental Health Assistance Program (MHAP)

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) started its Mental Health Assistance Program (MHAP) since 2010 in Thailand-Burma border area. It technically trained by Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. AAPP has expended this program to inside Burma since 2013.

MHAP aimed to provide psychosocial support, trauma counselling, and mental-health education for people affected by political imprisonment and their families, torture, conflict, and human-rights violations in Burma.

It was created because AAPP recognized that political prisoners do not only need legal and advocacy support, but also healing from psychological trauma caused by imprisonment, torture, isolation, and fear.

AAPP-MHAP will promote human rights and mental health in Burma around service provision, capacity enhancement, advocacy, and accountability. This goal will be reached by providing essential psychosocial support through talking therapy, to human rights defenders and pro-democracy supporters grappling with trauma, stress, burnout, depression, substance abuses and other mental health issues.

MHAP typically includes:

  • Trauma-informed counselling (individual and group)
  • Psychoeducation on stress, trauma, coping, and resilience
  • Community mental-health workshops
  • Support for reintegration after release from prison
  • Training counsellors who understand political-prisoner experiences and human rights violations.

It is one of AAPP’s major programs to support healing, dignity, and recovery for survivors.

MHAP advocates and lobbies the National Unity Government and ethnic stakeholders to put community-based mental health counseling programs in the relevant national health policy by using evidence-based advocacy.

MHAP is also part of transitional justice because:

  • Survivors need psychosocial rehabilitation to participate in justice processes
  • Healing trauma strengthens democratic participation
  • Documentation of torture includes psychological effects
  • Reintegration support helps rebuild communities

MHAP is created to restore dignity, mental stability, and hope for those who suffered.