EMPOWER is a not-for-profit program lead by Sangath and its collaborators engaged in
mental health implementation science across diverse states in India.
EMPOWER is a digital platform through which Non Specialist Providers (NSPs) can learn, master and deliver evidence based psychosocial treatments.
EMPOWER program builds on and converges on three strands of science: clinical science demonstrating the effectiveness of brief psychosocial interventions; implementation science demonstrating the effectiveness of the delivery of such interventions by community health workers or other cadres of NSPs; and pedagogical science demonstrating the effectiveness of digital approaches for training and quality assurance.
EMPOWER has actively worked across three districts in Madhya Pradesh: Raisen, Narmadapuram, and Vidisha. Mental health initiatives were strengthened by training ASHA workers in counseling for depression and perinatal depression. The digital training provided the ASHA workers the flexibility and accessibility to improve their skills and knowledge despite their hectic schedules. With this easy-to-use digital platform, health workers were able to complete their training at their own pace, anytime anywhere.
Over the past three years, EMPOWER has been actively engaged in Madhya Pradesh, helping train ASHA workers. These trained ASHA workers have begun counseling sessions for depression and perinatal depression within their respective villages. The ASHA workers offering counseling receive continual motivation and guidance from our team. This is achieved through ongoing supervision while ensuring a consistent and supportive framework is in place.
The three-year journey was successfully completed through the sheer diligence and commitment of the ASHA workforce and our supportive framework. Let’s comprehend the project in a systematic phase-by-phase manner.
Phase 1: Digital training for HAP (counseling for adult depression) was given to the ASHA team. We were deeply inspired by the enthusiasm and motivation expressed by the ASHA workers for the training. A total of 1001 ASHA’s were trained digitally to learn about counseling for depression (HAP- Healthy Activity Program)
Phase 2: Following the training, the ASHA workforce received guidance on initiating community screenings and offering counseling to individuals who tested positive for depression. By employing task shifting, the ASHA workers provided counseling to approximately 2456 patients across the three districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Phase 3: The ASHA team trained by HAP continues to counsel patients in their respective localities. In phase 3, our primary focus has been on providing counseling for perinatal depression. Notably, we have successfully conducted digital training in counseling for perinatal depression, known as THPP. Our training reached a total of 2100 ASHA workers across the 3 districts of Madhya Pradesh.
EMPOWER aspires to enhance the capabilities of the healthcare system in addressing mental health issues through prevention and care. Our initiative’s primary goal is
to utilize digital training tools to educate and assist frontline health workers in administering evidence-based psychosocial interventions. Additionally, the project aims
to leverage emerging data to assess the consequences of scaling up and to contribute new insights into the effective elements of psychological interventions.
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Studies indicate that one in ten individuals experiences common mental health issues, such as depression. Additionally, one in five women encounters perinatal depression during both pregnancy and the post-delivery period.
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There exists a treatment gap for mental health issues in both rural and urban areas of India, predominantly attributed to the “unavailability” and “inaccessibility” of services.
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In order to bridge the gap in mental health services, Empower has implemented a task-sharing strategy. This involves training community health workers to provide counseling for both depression and perinatal depression.
Empower has actively worked across three districts in Madhya Pradesh: Raisen, Narmadapuram, and Vidisha. Mental health initiatives were strengthened by training ASHA workers in counseling for depression and perinatal depression. The digital training provided the ASHA workers the flexibility and accessibility to improve their skills and knowledge despite their hectic schedules. With this easy-to-use digital platform, health workers were able to complete their training at their own pace, anytime anywhere.
Over the past three years, EMPOWER has been actively engaged in Madhya Pradesh, helping train ASHA workers. These trained ASHA workers have begun counseling sessions for depression and perinatal depression within their respective villages. The ASHA workers offering counseling receive continual motivation and guidance from our team. This is achieved through ongoing supervision while ensuring a consistent and supportive framework is in place.
The three-year journey was successfully completed through the sheer diligence and commitment of the ASHA workforce and our supportive framework. Let’s comprehend the project in a systematic phase-by-phase manner.
Phase 1: Digital training for HAP (counseling for adult depression) was given to the ASHA team. We were deeply inspired by the enthusiasm and motivation expressed by the ASHA workers for the training. A total of 1001 ASHA’s were trained digitally to learn about counseling for depression (HAP- Healthy Activity Program)
Phase 2: Following the training, the ASHA workforce received guidance on initiating community screenings and offering counseling to individuals who tested positive for depression. By employing task shifting, the ASHA workers provided counseling to approximately 2456 patients across the three districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Phase 3: The ASHA team trained by HAP continues to counsel patients in their respective localities. In phase 3, our primary focus has been on providing counseling for perinatal depression. Notably, we have successfully conducted digital training in counseling for perinatal depression, known as THPP. Our training reached a total of 2100 ASHA workers across the 3 districts of Madhya Pradesh.
About THPP
About HAP
EMPOWER is a digital platform through which Non Specialist Providers (NSPs) can learn, master and deliver evidence based psychosocial treatments.
EMPOWER program builds on and converges on three strands of science: clinical science demonstrating the effectiveness of brief psychosocial interventions; implementation science demonstrating the effectiveness of the delivery of such interventions by community health workers or other cadres of NSPs; and pedagogical science demonstrating the effectiveness of digital approaches for training and quality assurance.
EMPOWER is a not-for-profit program lead by Sangath and its collaborators engaged in mental health implementation science across diverse states in India.
EMPOWER is a digital platform through which Non Specialist Providers (NSPs) can learn, master and deliver evidence based psychosocial treatments.
EMPOWER program builds on and converges on three strands of science: clinical science demonstrating the effectiveness of brief psychosocial interventions; implementation science demonstrating the effectiveness of the delivery of such interventions by community health workers or other cadres of NSPs; and pedagogical science demonstrating the effectiveness of digital approaches for training and quality assurance.
Digital Learning
- Digital training on how to deliver a range of psychosocial treatments
- Provider competency assessment to ensure skills and knowledge to effectively deliver care
Digital Quality Assurance
- Decision support to match patient assessments with treatment
- Remote coaching can help to support learning and progress through digital training programs
- Peer supervision is scalable and as effective as expert supervision
- Quality assessments can be quantified through structured rating of recordings of therapy sessions
Digital System Integration
- Patient-facing apps can supplement provider delivered interventions
- Prediction models can be developed, using quality and outcome data, to refine interventions
- Continuing quality assessments offer a pathway to career progression for front-line providers to become experts
- Aggregate provider performance can be used to evaluate impact of scaling up
Dr. Vikram Patel
Harvard Medical School
Sangath, India
Dr. Ravindra Agarwal
Sangath Goa
Dr. Anant Bhan
Sangath Bhopal
Dr. Gauri Divan
Sangath Delhi
Reetabrata Roy
Sangath Delhi
Empower India
Our Team
Dr. Vikram Patel
Harvard Medical School Sangath, India
Dr. Ravindra Agarwal
Sangath Goa
Dr. Anant Bhan
Sangath Bhopal
Dr. Gauri Divan
Sangath Delhi
Reetabrata Roy
Sangath Delhi
Empower J&J Team
Deepak Tugnawant
Sangath Bhopal
Mohit Sood
Project Coordinator
EMPOWER
Aakrushi Brahmbhatt
Data & outreach coordinator
EMPOWER
Prakash Pednekar
Project Secretary
EMPOWER
Tanushri Sharma
Intervention Coordinator
EMPOWER
Harshita Yadav
Psychologist
EMPOWER
Jigyasa Kaur
Psychologist
EMPOWER
Smita Kumari
Psychologist
EMPOWER
Vandana Shukla
District Coordinator (Narmadapuram)
EMPOWER
Prashant Sharma
District Coordinator (Raisen)
EMPOWER
Balkrishna Tripathi
District Coordinator (Vidisha)
EMPOWER
Shweta Resu
HAP Supervisor
EMPOWER
Ram Sapre
HAP Supervisor
EMPOWER
Gaurishankar Dwivedi
HAP Supervisor
EMPOWER
Brajesh Parashar
HAP Supervisor
EMPOWER
Ritesh Dubey
HAP Supervisor
EMPOWER
Mahendra Kushwaha
HAP Supervisor
EMPOWER
Empower J&J Team
Deepak Tugnawant
Sangath Bhopal
Mohit Sood
Project Coordinator EMPOWER
Aakrushi Brahmbhatt
Data & outreach coordinator EMPOWER
Prakash Pednekar
Project Secretary EMPOWER
Tanushri Sharma
Intervention Coordinator EMPOWER
Harshita Yadav
Psychologist EMPOWER
Jigyasa Kaur
Psychologist EMPOWER
Smita Kumari
Psychologist EMPOWER
Vandana Shukla
District Coordinator (Narmadapuram) EMPOWER
Prashant Sharma
District Coordinator (Raisen) EMPOWER
Balkrishna Tripathi
District Coordinator (Vidisha) EMPOWER
Shweta Resu
HAP Supervisor EMPOWER
Ram Sapre
HAP Supervisor EMPOWER
Gaurishankar Dwivedi
HAP Supervisor EMPOWER
Brajesh Parashar
HAP Supervisor EMPOWER
Ritesh Dubey
HAP Supervisor EMPOWER
Mahendra Kushwaha
HAP Supervisor EMPOWER
Practice Pal Team
Amruta Suryavanshi
Project Coordinator Practice Pal
Aman Bariya-Sousa
Research Assitant EMPOWER
Azaz Khan
Intervention Coordinator
Urvita Bhatia
Intervention Coordinator
EMPOWER
Miriam Sequeira
Intervention Coordinator
EMPOWER
Ankita Shah
Project Coordinator
EMPOWER
Luanna Fernandes
Project Coordinator
EMPOWER
Deepali Vishwakarma
HAP Supervisor
Radhika Tak
HAP Supervisor
Phoolsingh Gaur
HAP Supervisor
Nidhi Joshi
HAP Supervisor
Gaurav Shrivastava
HAP Supervisor
Megan Lopez
HAP Supervisor
Pranali Kudnaikar
HAP Supervisor
Subhash Pednekar
HAP Supervisor
Ankita Hoble
HAP Supervisor
Utkarsha Naik
HAP Supervisor
Seema Sambari
HAP Supervisor
PEERS Team
Azaz Khan
Intervention Coordinator EMPOWER
Urvita Bhatia
Intervention Coordinator EMPOWER
Miriam Sequeira
Intervention Coordinator EMPOWER
Ankita Shah
Project Coordinator EMPOWER
Luanna Fernandes
Project Coordinator EMPOWER
Deepali Vishwakarma
HAP Supervisor
Radhika Tak
HAP Supervisor
Phoolsingh Gaur
HAP Supervisor
Nidhi Joshi
HAP Supervisor
Gaurav Shrivastava
HAP Supervisor
Megan Lopez
HAP Supervisor
Pranali Kudnaikar
HAP Supervisor
Subhash Pednekar
HAP Supervisor
Ankita Hoble
HAP Supervisor
Utkarsha Naik
HAP Supervisor
Seema Sambari
HAP Supervisor
ASPIRE Team
Geetanjali Lal
Research Coordinator
ASPIRE
Deepak Jangra
Data Manager
ASPIRE
Shilpa Kasu
Research Associate
ASPIRE
Mohammed Parveen
Junior Research Associate
ASPIRE
Geetanjali Lal
Reasearch Coordinator ASPIRE
Deepak Jangra
Data Manager Aspire
Shilpa Kasu
Research Associate ASPIRE
Mohammad Parveen
Junior Research Associate ASPIRE
Notable projects
Empower Projects
Healthy Activity Program
Healthy Activity Programme (HAP) Scale Up engages frontline health workers in digital training and build capacities for delivering counselling based treatment. The programme is operational in three districts named, Narmadapuram, Raisen and Vidisha in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India which is supplemented by various on site public engagement activities.
Read More
Promoting Effective Mental Healthcare Through Peer Supervision (PEERS)
Project PEERS is a digitally-enabled supervision innovation in the form of an app to improve the quality of Healthy Activity Programme (HAP) treatment for depression delivered by Non -Specialist Providers (NSPs) which is operational in two states of India, Goa and Madhya Pradesh.
Read More
Neurodevelopment and AutisM in South ASia Treatment and Evidence (NAMASTE)
NAMASTE aims to design and implement a flexible evidenced pathway towards universal health coverage for children with Autism, through a programme of research, training and capacity building across India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Read More
PracticePal
PracticePal conversational agent (chatbot) will provide education resources and remind clients to complete assigned activities via Telegram to help clients practice work assigned in HAP sessions by counsellors.
Read More
ASPIRE
A Scalable Programme Incorporating Early Child Development Interventions (ASPIRE) aims to develop, implement & evaluate an integrated early childhood development& nutrition intervention covering the first 1000 days of life
Read More
PRIDE
PRIDE (PremIum for aDolEscents) has developed and tested a suite of scalable, evidence-based interventions addressing the major share of the adolescent mental health burden (i.e., anxiety, depression and conduct difficulties) in India.
Read More
THPP
Thinking Healthy Program Peer-delivered- THPP
Thinking Healthy Program Peer-delivered is an evidence-based treatment for mothers suffering with perinatal depression. Nearly 1 in 5 women suffers through perinatal depression in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Treatment gap for perinatal depression exceeds 90% in low resource settings. The THPP is designed for integration into maternal and child health care programmes in primary care. It is aimed at community health workers. It requires no previous knowledge or experience of mental health care.
Read More
Notable projects
Empower Projects
Healthy Activity Program
Healthy Activity Programme (HAP) Scale Up engages frontline health workers in digital training and build capacities for delivering counselling based treatment. The programme is operational in three districts named, Narmadapuram, Raisen and Vidisha in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India which is supplemented by various on site public engagement activities.
Read More
Promoting Effective Mental Healthcare Through Peer Supervision (PEERS)
Project PEERS is a digitally-enabled supervision innovation in the form of an app to improve the quality of Healthy Activity Programme (HAP) treatment for depression delivered by Non -Specialist Providers (NSPs) which is operational in two states of India, Goa and Madhya Pradesh.
Read More
Neurodevelopment and AutisM in South ASia Treatment and Evidence (NAMASTE)
NAMASTE aims to design and implement a flexible evidenced pathway towards universal health coverage for children with Autism, through a programme of research, training and capacity building across India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Read More
PracticePal
PracticePal conversational agent (chatbot) will provide education resources and remind clients to complete assigned activities via Telegram to help clients practice work assigned in HAP sessions by counsellors.
Read More
ASPIRE
A Scalable Programme Incorporating Early Child Development Interventions (ASPIRE) aims to develop, implement & evaluate an integrated early childhood development& nutrition intervention covering the first 1000 days of life
Read More
PRIDE
PRIDE (PremIum for aDolEscents) has developed and tested a suite of scalable, evidence-based interventions addressing the major share of the adolescent mental health burden (i.e., anxiety, depression and conduct difficulties) in India.
Read More