Dixon Chibanda is one of 12 psychiatrists in Zimbabwe -- for a population of more than 16 million. Realizing that his country would never be able to scale traditional methods of treating those with mental health issues, Chibanda helped to develop a beautiful solution powered by a limitless resource: grandmothers. In this extraordinary, inspirational talk, learn more about the friendship bench program, which trains grandmothers in evidence-based talk therapy and brings care, and hope, to those in need. Check out more TED Talks: http://www.ted.com The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Follow TED on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/TED

The journey toward change can be slow, unkind, and personally demanding. It takes bold leadership, courage, and a lifetime practice of renewal to sustain this work. We hear leaders often ask, “How do I find and renew my sense of moral courage?” Watch high-impact leaders—all McNulty Prize Laureates and Aspen Institute Fellows—Jay Coen Gilbert, Rejané Woodroffe, Dixon Chibanda, and Aimée Eubanks Davis discuss their leadership journeys and the value of vulnerability, humility, complexity, authenticity, and self-care when addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. This panel was hosted by the McNulty Foundation and Aspen Institute at the 2024 Skoll World Forum on April 11th, 2024 in Oxford, UK. Learn more about the McNulty Foundation: mcnultyfound.org/ Learn more about the Aspen Institute: aspeninstitute.org To explore more stories and insights on moral courage and the leadership journey, read our series in the Stanford Social Innovation Review: https://ssir.org/pivotal_moments_on_the_leadership_journey About the Aspen Institute: The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org. Follow us on social media for more big ideas: On YouTube: @aspeninstitute On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspeninstitute/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AspenInstitute/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-aspen-institute/ On X: https://twitter.com/AspenInstitute

In an ailing world, so many people are eager to contribute to their communities and connect with their neighbors. Hear stories of grassroots efforts to improve community health that draw on local talent to meet local needs—grandmothers delivering mental health counseling, volunteers teaching children about healthy food, and artists using murals to strengthen neighborhoods. All build on the recognition that on-the-ground collaborations can help knit us back together and that it is easiest to accept help and change behavior when support comes from trusted community members. Dixon Chibanda Luria Freeman Robert Harvey Aspen Ideas: Health takes place on the Aspen Institute’s wondrous 40-acre campus in the Rocky Mountains from June 20-23, 2024. The three-day event, which has opened the renowned Aspen Ideas Festival since 2014, is where health’s biggest challenges meet its biggest thinkers. #AspenIdeasHealth #AspenIdeas For more information about Aspen Ideas: Health, visit https://www.aspenideas.org/attend/health.

The Friendship Bench provides sustainable community based psychological interventions that are evidence based, accessible and scalable. OUR MISSION: To get people out of depression ​ OUR VISION: A Friendship Bench within walking distance for all ​ OUR VALUES: Empathy & Connection; Anchored in Research https://friendshipbenchzimbabwe.org

Dr. Dixon Chibanda, the creator of Friendship Bench Zimbabwe, talks about the new Friendship Bench DC pilot program and our incredible group of grandparents who have been trained to provide mental health support in their communities.

When people experience profoundly damaging events, like war, invasion, or massacre, the psychological toll is vast. Which interventions work best to help repair the damage? Dixon Chibanda pioneered the Friendship Bench, where local grandmothers sit with people and help them talk through their problems. In this talk from EA Global: London 2018, Chibanda explains his program, which has shown impressive results in reducing depression among participants. You can read a transcript, or discuss this talk, on the Effective Altruism Forum: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/2rNQEsd4KwYgMnpS2/dixon-chibanda-the-friendship-bench Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEfASxwPxzsHlG5Rf1-4K9w?sub_confirmation=1 Find out how to attend EA Global: https://www.eaglobal.org/. Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/effectivealtruismglobal

Guest: Dr. Dixon Chibanda - Facilitator: Sara Correll The Friendship Bench program is a Zimbabwean community-based mental health intervention where trained community health workers (known as "grandmothers") sit on wooden park "Friendship Benches" set up at primary health care clinics or safe community spaces and provide structured problem-solving talk therapy to community members who come looking for mental health support or are referred by nurses or other community members. The program was founded by Dixon Chibanda in 2006, and was developed over a 20-year period of community-based research to bridge the mental health treatment gap. Friendship Bench offers what has been seen as an effective, simple, cost-effective option to provide evidence-based mental health care in under-resourced settings. The Friendship Bench: https://www.friendshipbenchzimbabwe.org/ How you can reach us at The Power Of Our Story: https://www.thepowerofourstory.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-power-of-our-story/ tposleadership@gmail.com

Therapy from grandmothers is 86% effective in improving mental health. Here’s the organization looking to bring that model to the rest of the world. Subscribe to Freethink on YouTube ► https://freeth.ink/youtube-subscribe Up next, How child psychiatrist Essam Daod saves refugees from trauma ► https://youtu.be/V_j7cgJf6eo In Zimbabwe, where mental health resources are scarce, the Friendship Bench is demonstrating real, positive impacts. Picture community grandmothers, treasured for their wisdom and cultural knowledge, sitting on benches and providing therapy sessions. This approach, steeped in cultural values, has not only resonated with the community but has also shown scientifically backed success, even outperforming traditional therapy methods. With its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, the Friendship Bench has crossed Zimbabwe’s borders and is being replicated in six other countries, lighting the path toward addressing the global mental health gap. Watch on Freethink.com ► https://www.freethink.com/sponsored/friendship-bench/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description We created this video in partnership with the McNulty Foundation. ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ Read more of our stories on mental health: Architects design new mental health facilities with healing in mind ►https://www.freethink.com/health/neuroaesthetics/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description Anxiety treatment in early childhood can lower long-term mental health risks ►https://www.freethink.com/health/anxiety-in-children/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description Amish gene study finds clues to mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder ►https://www.freethink.com/health/amish-genome-study/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡ Watch our original series: ► Hard Reset: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXthoedLVIdLvnNgiCshQvqKdS7T_qeGY ► Just Might Work: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXthoedLVIdIS7K-6oNkrya-v-k-X4zYI ► Challengers: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXthoedLVIdKeeuwpDPSyHSC54obntRxB ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ About Freethink No politics, no gossip, no cynics. At Freethink, we believe the daily news should inspire people to build a better world. While most media is fueled by toxic politics and negativity, we focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future. ◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡ Enjoy Freethink on your favorite platforms: ► Daily editorial features: https://www.freethink.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ► Solutions-based stories, straight to your inbox: https://www.freethink.com/subscribe/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freethinkmedia​/ ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethink​/ ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/freethinkmedia​/ ► Join the Freethink forum: http://www.facebook.com/groups/freethinkforum/

Imagine you live in a country of 16 million people, with serious socio-economic hardships that are aggravating a growing mental health crisis. Now, imagine your country only has 12 certified psychiatrists and very few psychologists. How do you plug this monumental mental health gap? This is the difficult question Zimbabwean social entrepreneur and psychiatrist Dixon Chibanda is addressing. He found the answer by adopting an assets mindset, turning to grandmothers, whom he trains as Lay Health Workers to provide counseling sessions to those most in need. Dixon joined us on October 19 to share more about Friendship Bench and their stigma-busting, culturally affirming approach to democratizing mental health access in Zimbabwe. You can listen to the whole conversation here: https://youtu.be/gUIU8AE992w