Over the past two decades, the need for community-based psychosocial support in crisis response and development work has become increasingly clear. Psychosocial support empowers individuals and their communities to tackle emotional reactions of critical events and also creates community cohesion essential for adaptation, transforming problems into opportunities for sustainable progress and moving forward. Psychosocial support is vital in all Red Cross Red Crescent work. When provided, it builds resilience and strengthens coping. When left out, psychological and social challenges increase, leading to an increase in poverty, violence, mental and physical illness.

Community-based psychosocial support is an integral part of Red Cross Red Crescent work. This ten-minute long film, produced by the International Federation Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support, explains why such support is so important, and gives some examples of how psychosocial support is provided in the Movement.