
Locations
Kenya
Categories
Child/Family, Community-based
Project Leads/PIs
- Eve Puffer
- Florence Jaguga
Partners
AMPATH; WISER
Team Members
- Wilter Rono

Tuko Pamoja: Family-Based Mental Health Intervention in Kenya Project Leads: Eve Puffer, PhD; Florence Jaguga, MBChB, MMed
Project Overview
Tuko Pamoja is a family strengthening program developed in Kenya using community-based participatory methods to improve family relationships and mental health among children, adolescents, and caregivers. It includes two complementary interventions: a group-based prevention program and an in-home family therapy model for families experiencing elevated distress. Both build communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, trust, and mental health coping skills. A randomized trial of the group program shows improvements in family communication, and pilot findings for the in-home model suggest benefits for family functioning and mental health.
Related Publications
Puffer, E. S., Healy, F., Green, E., Giusto, E. P. M., Kaiser, A. N., Patel, B., P., & Ayuku, D. (2020). Family functioning and mental health changes following a family therapy intervention in Kenya: a pilot trial. Journal of Child and Family Studies.
Puffer, E. S., Friis-Healy, E. A., Giusto, A., Stafford, S., & Ayuku, D. (2019). Development and implementation of a family therapy intervention in Kenya: a community-embedded Lay Provider Model. Global Social Welfare.
Puffer, E. S., Green, E. P., Sikkema, K. J., & Broverman, S. A., Ogwang-Odhiambo, R. A., & Pian, J. (2016). A church-based intervention for families to promote mental health and prevent HIV among adolescents In rural Kenya: Results of a randomized trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84(6), 511–525.
Related News

Mon Aug 21 2023 - Essential reading from Duke University’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience: Duke Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences (2023, August 21). It takes a village: Tuko Pamoja’s two-tiered approach to family intervention. https://psychandneuro.duke.edu/news/it-takes-village-tuko-pamoja-two-tiered-approach-family-intervention
