Since its incorporation in 2010, The Good Practice Group has worked with a wide range of institutions and has undertaken diverse assignments.
Recent clients and collaborators include the following: Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust, Unicef New York HQ, World Health Organisation Sri Lanka, Sewalanka Foundation & Unicef Sri Lanka, Ministry of Health Sri Lanka, Overseas Development Institute, The Asia Foundation Sri Lanka, Social Scientists’ Association, National Institute for Social Development, Ministry for Child Development and Women’s Affairs Sri Lanka, Institute for Health Policy, Janashakthi Insurance PLC, ATG Lanka Pvt Ltd, Save the Children in Sri Lanka, CARE Sri Lanka, War Trauma Foundation, World Vision Australia, Antares Foundation, National Development Bank, DFCC & DFCC Vardhana Banks, Volunteer Services Overseas, ZOA Refugee Care, Queen Margaret University, Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Network (MHPSS.net), Eastern Self-Reliant Community-Awakening Organization, World Vision Lanka, Suriya Women’s Development Centre and state mental health services in districts in Eastern and Northern Sri Lanka.
Below is a selection of the contracted and self-financed work undertaken by The Good Practice Group during the period 2010-2019:
Core mental health services:
- Training and peer supervision of mental health staff in four hospitals in Eastern Sri Lanka
- Supporting the establishment of a novel category of community-mental health workers in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka
- Design and fundraising for building mental health unit in northern Sri Lanka
- Support to designing and development of a mental health trust concept to support public services
- Assessment of post-war mental health services in Sri Lanka
- Studies of the roles and perceived training needs of key mental health & psychosocial support personnel in Sri Lanka
Care and protection of children:
- Support to establishment and functioning of child rights advocacy network, including advising on disaster response
- Support to training of probation and child care officers in the Western Province of Sri Lanka
- Strategic planning for child & youth programme unit of membership-based organization in eastern Sri Lanka
- Advice on design of a child advocacy organization’s study on child sexual abuse prevalence study
- Evaluation of child protection project on community protection mechanisms and de-institutionalization in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka
- Support to design and implementation of a study on care arrangements for children of migrant workers
Gender based violence:
- Facilitation of case discussions groups for women’s organization working on GBV in Batticaloa
- Support for development of self-care and support capabilities of GBV case workers in Eastern Sri Lanka
- Facilitation of support for community workers engaging in GBV issues in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka
- Advocacy for evidence-supported responses to GBV in Eastern Sri Lanka
International networking, collaboration and knowledge exchange:
- Stewarding support and online-hosting services for global mental health & psychosocial support network.
- Steering global research study on “developing a research agenda for mental health interventions and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings in low- and middle income countries”
- Advisory support to an “innovation platform for global mental health”
MHPSS in emergencies:
- Testing of innovative approach to delivering PFA content via mass communications platforms after crises.
- Training for a faith-based institution on providing support to its congregation after crisis
- Organizational strengthening and strategic planning for a key service provider in Northern Sri Lanka
- Development of Batticaloa Floods and Psychosocial Support guidelines
- Delivery of training on ‘mental health and psychosocial support in conflict’ for South Asian practitioners
- Training of South Asian regional practitioners on the IASC MHPSS Guidelines
- Adaptation and translation of WHO manual on Psychological First Aid into Sinhala and Tamil
- Training of corporate clients and community workers on delivering Psychological First Aid
- Supporting MHPSS responses to the 2019 Easter Sunday Attacks in Sri Lanka
Recent publications by GPG Associates include the following:
Cassiere-Daniel, M. and Salih, S. (2016) ‘Sustainability and Transitions in Coordination of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Services in Sri Lanka, 2004-2014.’ In: Transitions in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services in Sri Lanka 2004 – 2015: A Decade in Review, Colombo: The Asia Foundation.
Emmanuel, S, Wettasinghe, K, Samuels, F, Thambaiah, S, Rajendran, I and Galappatti, A. (2014) Adolescent psychosocial wellbeing in the post conflict context of Sri Lanka, Overseas Development Institute.
Emmanuel, S, Wettasinghe, K, Samuels, F, Thambaiah, S, Rajendran, I and Galappatti, A. (2015) “Failing Adolescents: Social Control, Political Economy & Human Development in post-war Sri Lanka.” Stability: International Journal of Security & Development, 4(1): 18, pp. 1-18, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.fe
Francis, F. & G. van der Veer (2011) Field report: peer support supervision as a procedure for learning from practical experience in a mental health setting, Intervention, 9(2).
Francis, F., Galappatti, A. & G. van der Veer (2012) Field Report; Developing a responsive model of staff care beyond individual stress management: a case study, Intervention, 10(1).
Galappatti, A. (2010) Research to the Rescue? The need for empirical and theoretical work on wellbeing to shape MHPSS and development interventions in Sri Lanka, in Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC) (ed.), Wellbeing and Development in Sri Lanka, University of Colombo.
Galappatti, A. (2014) “Trauma and Beyond: The Evolving Field of Mental Health and Psychosocial Work in
Sri Lanka” in Somasundaram, D., Scarred Communities: Psychosocial Impact of Man-made and Natural
Disasters on Sri Lankan Society, Sage.
Galappatti, A. and Cader, S. ‘Sustainability of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services after Disaster and Conflict: A Desk Review of the Literature.’ In: Transitions in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services in Sri Lanka 2004 – 2015: A Decade in Review, The Asia Foundation, Sri Lanka. 2016.
Galappatti, A. Gunawardena, N. and Ravikumar, S. (2016) Mapping the Roles of Community-Level Government Service Providers Relevant to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services in Sri Lanka. In: Transitions in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services in Sri Lanka 2004 – 2015: A Decade in Review, The Asia Foundation, Sri Lanka. 2016.
Galappatti, A., & Richardson, S. M. (2016). Linking mental health and psychosocial support and disaster risk reduction: applying a wellbeing lens to disaster risk reduction, Intervention 14(3).
Ganesan, M. (2011) Building up Mental Health Services from Scratch: Experiences from East Sri Lanka, Intervention, 9(3).
Ibrahim, Z. (2016) Surviving Transitions: A Case Study of the Preventing Gender-Based Violence Task Force, Batticaloa, 2004-2015. In: Transitions in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services in Sri Lanka 2004 – 2015: A Decade in Review, Colombo: The Asia Foundation. 2016.
Institute for Health Policy (2013) Mapping Study on the Capacity and Work Experiences of the Counseling Officers / Assistants Attached to the Ministries of Social Services and Child Development and Women’s Affairs, The Asia Foundation & Ministry of Social Services, Sri Lanka August 2013,
Patel, P.P., Russell, J., Allden, K., Betancourt, T.S., Bolton, P., Galappatti, A., Hijazi, Z., Johnson, K., Jones, L., Kadis, L., Leary, K., Weissbecker, L. & J. Nakku, (2011) “Transitioning Mental Health & Psychosocial Support: From Short-Term Emergency to Sustainable Post-Disaster Development. Humanitarian Action Summit 2011”, Journal of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 26 (6).
Salih, M., Tegal, E., Cassiere-Daniel, M and Galappatti, A. (2016), ‘Sustaining NGO Services for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Sri Lanka during Transition Periods, 2004-2014.’ In Transitions in Mental Health and Psychosocial Services in Sri Lanka 2004-2015: A Decade in Review, Colombo: The Asia Foundation.
Shanmugam, G. & S. Emmanuel (2010), A Study of Sexual Abuse of Adolescent Girl Children in Batticaloa: At least One out of Every Thirty Girls, Report, Save the Children in Sri Lanka.
Tegal, E. & Galappatti, A. (2018). A Comparative Report of The Review Studies Conducted In 2013 And 2017 With The Counsellors Of The Ministries Of Social Services And Of Women And Child Affairs. The Asia Foundation.
The Good Practice Group (2013) Mapping Study and Work Experiences of Counselling Assistants attached to Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, The Asia Foundation & Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, Sri Lanka, Dec 2013.
The Good Practice Group (2015) A Mapping Study of Scope of Role and Perceived Training Needs of Medical Officers of Mental Health and Medical Officers (Psychiatry): Descriptive Report of Findings, The Asia Foundation & Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, January 2015.
Tol, W.A., Barbui, C., Galappatti, A., Silove, D., Betancourt, T.S., Souza, R.O., Golaz, A. & M. van Ommeren (2011) “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings: Linking Practice and Research”, Lancet, Global Mental Health Series.
Tol, W.A., Patel, V., Tomlinson, M., Baingana, F., Galappatti, A. Silove, D., Sondorp, E., van Ommeren, M., Wessells, .M, & C. Panter-Brick (2011) Research Priorities for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings. PLoS Med 8(9).
Tol, W.A., Patel, V., Tomlinson, M., Baingana, F., Galappatti, A. Silove, D., Sondorp, E., van Ommeren, M., Wessells, .M, & C. Panter-Brick (2012) “Relevance or Excellence? Setting Research Priorities for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings”, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 20 (1).
Tol, W.A., M. Purgato, M, Bass, J.K., Galappatti, A and Eaton, W. (2015), “Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: a public mental health perspective”, Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences.
van der Veer, G & F. Francis (2011) Field based training for mental health workers, community workers, psychosocial workers and counsellors: a participant-oriented approach, Intervention, 9(2)
Wettesinghe, K., Shanmugam, G. & S. Emmanuel (2012) Alternative Care giving of Migrant Workers’ Children. Report for Terre des Hommes (Tdh) of a study carried out in Ampara and Batticaloa Districts, Sri Lanka.
Wettasinghe, K, Emmanuel, S, Samuels, F, and Galappatti, A. (2015) Mental health and psychosocial support service provision for adolescent girls in post-conflict settings, a culturally sensitive response. Overseas Development Institute.
World Health Organization (2013) Sinhala Translation of “Psychological First Aid: A Field Guide”, The Good Practice Group.
World Health Organization (2013) Tamil Translation of “Psychological First Aid: A Field Guide”, The Good Practice Group.