The directory was produced through a thorough internet search and interviews with service providers across the refugee and asylum sector. Through these interviews we were able to update and correct some of the existing information.”
Abigail Oyedele, Research Assistant
17 September 2021
New directory provides valuable information about mental health and psychosocial support services for refugees and migrants in London
Researchers at the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health have published a new directory listing mental health and social support services for refugees and migrants in London and Greater London.
The directory, called “The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Directory for Refugees and Migrants in London”, provides a detailed list of organisations offering services such as social and family support, legal advice and wellbeing services.
It can also be used to support professionals, such as medical practitioners, social workers and legal advisers, who need to refer refugees and migrants to relevant mental health and psychosocial support services in and around London.
While the safe arrival of refugees or migrants in their new host country can be experienced as great relief, it doesn’t often mark an end to their difficulties and uncertainties. The violence and discrimination refugees and migrants encountered at home and on their journeys to safety can be compounded by poverty, housing insecurity, racism and marginalisation in their host country.
The impact of these experiences on the mental health and wellbeing of refugees and migrants can be detrimental. However, it can be difficult to know where to turn for community-based or targeted mental health support as such services are not widely advertised and fragmented.
We felt that a directory like this was necessary to make existing mental health and psychosocial support services visible and more accessible. It is a tool that can signpost refugees and migrants directly to services that they think could be beneficial to them or people they know. It is also a great tool to help professionals with referrals outside their own field of specialisation.
Dr Hanna Kienzler, Project Lead, Co-Director ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health
Our hope for this directory is that it acts as a tool to break down barriers for support beyond mental health such as social, financial, and language support. The directory is also for providers and professionals working with refugee groups so that they are able to direct their clients and service users to appropriate MHPSS services that take their needs into consideration in a holistic way.
Zara Asif, Research Assistant
The Directory, which lists over 100 organisations, is free to download, and the team welcomes suggestions for new organisations to include, as well as general feedback.
You can find out more about the MHPSS project here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/mhpss-directory.
If you have questions about the directory or our project, please feel free to get in touch with the Project Lead, Dr Hanna Kienzler at hanna.kienzler@kcl.ac.uk
Click the link below to download the full directory
Further information
Development of the Directory has been led by members of the Marginalised Communities research programme at the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health. The Programme investigates how marginalised individuals and communities, including refugees and migrants, experience issues that impact on mental health over time.
You can find out more about the Programme here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/csmh/research-programmes/marginalised-communities
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Professor of Global Health
Research Assistant