Written By: Colleen Mader, MsGH Candidate ’27
This past October, the Duke Center for Global Mental Health (CGMH) and Duke Global Health Institute held a Think Global event focused on community and family-based mental health interventions, with a particular emphasis on three projects addressing the mental health of adolescents and families in Kenya. Dr. Eve Puffer, Director of the CGMH and Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience moderated the discussion.
Dr. Ali Giusto, psychologist and Assistant Professor at Florida International University, opened the event by highlighting the often-overlooked role of fathers’ mental health in family well-being. She shared findings from LEAD (LEarn, Engage, Act, Dedicate), an intervention in Eldoret, Kenya designed to reduce depression and alcohol use among fathers while strengthening positive family engagement.
Dr. Florence Jaguga, psychiatrist and Director of Mental Health and Rehabilitative Services at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and visiting scholar with the Duke Global Health Institute, discussed a screening and brief intervention approach to reducing adolescent substance use. Using the ASSIST (Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test) and a single 12-minute, motivational interviewing–based session delivered by peer providers, her work demonstrated that even brief, low-cost interventions and screening tools can make a big impact, especially when integrated into primary care.
Dr. Savannah Johnson, psychologist and Postdoctoral Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, presented PREPARE—a prevention program for adolescent relationship and emotional development aimed at promoting mental health and preventing intimate partner violence. PREPARED, similarly delivered through group-based, peer-led sessions, has shown promising early outcomes, including improved mental health symptoms, stronger communication skills, more equitable decision-making, and greater endorsement of respectful and responsible partnerships.
All three presentations echoed the importance of community involvement in delivering family-strengthening interventions. By supporting fathers, empowering adolescents, or addressing intimate partner violence, these interventions demonstrate that community-based approaches to mental health can disrupt harmful cycles and promote healthier futures for children and their families.