A new fellowship program is training mental health professionals in Mozambique to address a critical gap in child and adolescent care. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute, partnering with the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, has launched its third cohort of Clinical Fellows focused specifically on youth mental health services.
This initiative tackles a stark reality. Mozambique faces severe shortages of trained mental health providers who specialize in treating children and teenagers. Most young people in the country lack access to evidence-based mental health care, leaving depression, anxiety, trauma, and behavioral disorders largely untreated.
The fellowship program trains local clinicians in best practices for diagnosing and treating adolescent mental health conditions. Participants learn to implement interventions grounded in research while adapting them to Mozambique's specific cultural and resource contexts. By building local expertise, the program creates sustainable change rather than relying on foreign aid that disappears once funding ends.
This approach recognizes what global health experts know well. Training local professionals produces lasting improvements in child mental health infrastructure. These fellows return to their communities equipped to train others, creating a multiplier effect that extends care far beyond the initial training cohort.
The timing matters. Adolescent mental health emerged as a top global health priority during the pandemic, with depression and anxiety rates climbing in young people worldwide. Mozambique, facing economic constraints and ongoing mental health workforce shortages, has struggled to respond. Mental health disorders in youth often go undiagnosed and untreated, leading to poorer educational outcomes, increased substance use, and higher suicide risk.
The fellowship positions Mozambique to build its own mental health capacity from within. As fellows complete their training and establish practices, they model effective treatment approaches for other clinicians. They also influence policy conversations around youth mental