MHPSS Pyramid Model (Mental Health and Psychosocia
The MHPSS pyramid model (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) is a humanitarian framework outlined in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines that structures mental health and psychosocial assistance in emergencies into a layered system of care, beginning with the provision of basic services and safety, followed by community and family supports, then focused non-specialized psychosocial interventions, and culminating in specialized clinical mental health services, thereby ensuring a coordinated stepped-care approach that integrates prevention, psychosocial well-being, and treatment across populations affected by crises and humanitarian emergencies.
Applications:
The MHPSS pyramid model is widely applied in:
Armed conflict and war-related humanitarian crises
Support for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)
Disaster response (earthquakes, pandemics, floods)
School-based psychosocial programs
Veteran and military mental health systems
Coordination of NGO, medical, and social services
Inter-Agency Standing Committee. (2007). IASC guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings. Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Retrieved from: https://www.mhpss.net/toolkit/mhpss-and-eie/resource/iasc-guidelines-on-menta
World Health Organization. (2013). Building back better: Sustainable mental health care after emergencies. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/building-back-better-sustainable-mental-health-care-after-emergencies
Tol, W. A., Barbui, C., Galappatti, A., Silove, D., Betancourt, T. S., Souza, R., Golaz, A., van Ommeren, M. (2011). Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: Linking practice and research. The Lancet, 378(9802), 1581–1591. https://