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Liberia

Best Practice Paper: Ten years of Community Based Sociotherapy (CBS)

To restore trust and contribute to a more peaceful future, ZOA has introduced Community Based Sociotherapy (CBS) in Liberia in 2013. In the past 10 years, over 30.000 people have participated in CBS sessions in Liberia. What has been the impact of CBS? What can we learn for our work in other post conflict countries where people are in need of effective community based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) interventions?

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paper CBS

Contributing to a peaceful future in Liberia

CBS is a group based, psychosocial methodology to restore and strengthen feelings of safety, trust, dignity and social cohesion in communities affected by violent conflicts. ZOA and IICBS have worked in Liberia in partnership with YMCA Liberia and the Peace Hub Liberia. The paper documents the CBS journey in Liberia, collecting stories from participants from different walks of life.

CBS has proven to be an effective approach with community groups, leaders and students. Participants share how CBS has had an impact on their individual wellbeing, family and community relations, business and governance. Best practices are written down to be used in Liberia and in other conflict affected countries where CBS can contribute to psychosocial wellbeing and strengthened social cohesion, by (re-)establishing meaningful social relationships in communities.  

ZOA and IICBSare organising an online expert meeting about CBS best practices on Thursday 12 January 2023, 13.30 – 15.00 CET.  The meeting is open for all interested, see here for more information about the online CBS meeting and registration