Mental Health Masterclass

Mental Health Masterclass: Inside the Friendship Bench

Mechanisms, Methodology and Innovations that Decolonise Practice

1 October 2026 | 10:00–13:00 CAT | Online via Zoom | 3 CPD hours ZAR 900 / NGN 75,000 / USD 50 Presented by the Friendship Bench in partnership with Mtandao, Africa Social Work and Development Network, and the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA)

What is the Mental Health Masterclass?

Mental health is one of the most pressing yet underserved areas in African social work and development practice. Community-based, culturally grounded approaches offer a proven alternative to clinical models that do not fit African realities. This three-hour masterclass takes you inside one of Africa’s most celebrated mental health innovations: the Friendship Bench.

Led by the founder, Professor Dixon Chibanda, alongside elder Benchers and practitioners, the masterclass explores how the Friendship Bench model works, why it works, and how it is being scaled across Africa and beyond. You will hear directly from those who live it daily: the grandmothers, known as Gogo or Ambuya Utano, who deliver structured problem-solving talk therapy on benches at primary healthcare clinics in Zimbabwe and beyond.

What is the Friendship Bench?

The Friendship Bench was founded in 2006 by Professor Dixon Chibanda in Mbare, Harare, Zimbabwe. It is a community-based, evidence-based, scalable mental health intervention that addresses kufungisisa (thinking too much), the Shona expression for depression and anxiety, through culturally grounded care.

The model has now been replicated in over 12 countries across Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and has been adopted by global institutions including FIFA. At the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar, 32 benches representing each competing nation were installed at stadiums and public spaces to encourage open conversations about mental health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health.

The Friendship Bench model is now formally integrating into government structures in all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe. A landmark 2016 randomised controlled trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that grandmother-delivered therapy outperformed therapy provided by trained psychologists at six months. The intervention has reached close to half a million people and was recognised in the 2025 World Happiness Report.

What does the masterclass cover?

This three-hour immersive session explores the mechanics behind the Friendship Bench model: how it is structured, facilitated, and scaled. Topics include:

• The theoretical foundations of the Friendship Bench, including kufungisisa and Ubuntu-grounded care
• Core methodology: the task-sharing approach and the role of lay grandmothers
• Experiential knowledge: wisdom sharing from elder Benchers
• Scaling and replication: lessons from over 15 years of implementation across contexts
• Decolonising mental health practice: why this model matters for African social work
• Small group dialogue in breakout rooms facilitated by Mtandao and ASSWA
• Collective reflection: synthesis and commitments

Masterclass programme

Time (CAT)	Item	Lead
10:00	Welcome and framing: the story behind the bench	Professor Dixon Chibanda
10:20	Core methodology: kufungisisa and the bench approach	Professor Dixon Chibanda
10:50	Experiential knowledge and wisdom sharing	Grandmother (elder Bencher)
11:20	Three breakout rooms: small group dialogue	Mtandao and ASSWA facilitators
11:55	Plenary and Q&A: synthesis and collective reflection	Practitioner from the Friendship Bench
12:45	Closing: commitments and next steps	Friendship Bench, Mtandao, and ASSWA

• What will I receive?

• 3 CPD hours
• Certificate of participation
• Video recording of the full session
• Blog post: insights, reflections, and takeaways

Who should attend?

This masterclass is designed for social workers, social development practitioners, community health workers, academics, students, and policy makers who want to deepen their understanding of community-based mental health practice. No prior knowledge of the Friendship Bench is required.

About the expert

Professor Dixon Chibanda holds chairs at the University of Zimbabwe and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and directs the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI). He is the founder of the Friendship Bench and one of Africa’s foremost voices on community mental health, task sharing, and culturally grounded practice.

About the partnering organisations

Mtandao, Africa Social Work and Development Network, creates, aggregates and disseminates knowledge rooted in Ubuntu. It hosts three African Journals Online (AJOL) indexed and SCOPUS accredited journals and organises the Africa Day Indaba, Wazee Day of Older Persons, the Annual Ubuntu Lecture, and the Ubuntu Pedagogy Masterclass. Website: africasocialwork.net | Email: asw@africasocialwork.net

The Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA), formed in 2005, brings together schools of social work and development to advance education, research, standards, and collaboration across Africa, upholding pan-African values, human rights, and social justice. Website: asswa.org | Email: info@asswa.org

How do I register?

Currency	Fee
South African Rand	ZAR 900
Nigerian Naira	NGN 75,000
US Dollar	USD 50

To register, complete the expression of interest and registration form at: africasocialwork.net Or email: asw@africasocialwork.net

If attending SWSD 2026 in Nairobi, visit our stand at Booth 16, Tsavo Ballroom Exhibition Area, KICC Nairobi, to register in person and speak with Dr Sharlotte Tusasiirwe and Elizabeth Kilulu Mutinda.