Weintraub ACAM, Meneses SS, Noal DS, Fagundes SMS, Coelho LG, Melo BD, Souza MNG, Magrin NP, Schmidt B. Post-disaster reconstruction and public health emergencies: contributions from a national course on mental health and psychosocial care during the Covid-19 pandemic. Interface (Botucatu). 2025; 29: e240082. Doi: https://doi.rg/10.1590/interface.240082
Abstract
This experience report describes the formulation and execution of the “National Course on Mental Health and Psychosocial Care during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Post-Disaster Reconstruction and Public Health Emergencies”, incorporating this theme into the debate on the role of the mental health field in promoting societies that are better prepared to deal with extreme events. We describe the profile of course enrollees and teachers, the educational resources that made up the six modules of the course, as well as questions and comments raised in online forums. A total of 17,097 people subscribed to the course, made up predominantly of workers, managers and students. Eighty teachers from a range of specialties produced educational resources about post-pandemic reconstruction. The thematic analysis of the questions and comments resulted in six themes: systemic issues, intersectorality, intrasectorality, workers’ health, the health of vulnerable populations and medicalization. We discuss the importance of integrating the stages of risk and disaster management cycles when responding to public health emergencies.
Keywords
Post-disaster reconstruction; Mental health; Psychosocial support systems; Covid-19; Training courses
Access in: https://doi.rg/10.1590/interface.240082
