European College of Parma Foundation

For whom and why?

The Master’s program is intended for professionals working in the fields of assistance, social and psychosocial support, whether already active — or wishing to engage — in humanitarian emergency contexts or in community-based services dedicated to individuals and communities facing situations of vulnerability or distress.

This program aims to train highly qualified practitioners with a strong professional ethic, capable of supporting vulnerable populations in humanitarian, migratory, emergency, or socially marginalized contexts.

Built on an interdisciplinary curriculum structured around the MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) approach promoted by international organizations, the Master’s program seeks to equip participants with the necessary skills to:

• work within multidisciplinary and intercultural teams operating in particularly complex environments;
• build care relationships grounded in active listening, recognition of subjectivity, and mobilization of individual and community resources;
• design and implement integrated and contextualized psychosocial interventions centered on dignity, resilience, and beneficiary participation;
• collaborate with institutional and non-governmental stakeholders by contributing to the planning of trauma-sensitive, contextually relevant, and culturally informed services addressing psychological suffering.

The program prepares professionals capable of integrating theoretical, practical, and reflective tools that enable them to understand the challenges of mental health in complex environments, and to articulate individual needs, collective dynamics, and systemic constraints in a coherent and meaningful way.

For Whom and Why?

The Master’s program trains Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and mental health professionals capable of intervening with competence, ethics, and sensitivity in humanitarian settings and in community services dedicated to people in situations of vulnerability.

In contexts marked by collective trauma, disasters, forced migration, and systemic violence, psychological support cannot rely on a standard clinical approach.

It requires flexible tools, intercultural competencies, rapid assessment abilities, and the capacity to build authentic care relationships that are deeply humane and respectful of the complexity of individual experiences.

The training program is based on the MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) approach promoted by international organizations, integrating clinical dimensions with social and community perspectives.

Psychological intervention is therefore part of a multi-level strategy that includes promoting resilience, strengthening community ties, and providing support aimed at protection and overall well-being.

In settings affected by collective trauma, natural disasters, forced migration, conflicts, and systemic violence, psychological care requires integrated, flexible, and culturally adapted approaches.

Graduates of the program will be able to:

• Assess and intervene in emergency and crisis situations at both individual and collective levels

• Build effective therapeutic alliances in fragile environments through relationships based on empathy, active listening, and respect for cultural norms

• Adapt clinical protocols to unstable operational settings using resilience-oriented and psychosocial support tools

• Work within multidisciplinary and intercultural teams, contributing to the co-construction of participatory and do-no-harm interventions

• Maintain their own emotional and professional balance through self-care practices and critical reflection on their clinical posture

Thus, the Master’s program enables participants to acquire highly specialized skills in psychological and psychosocial care in emergency contexts, with constant attention to the well-being of both beneficiaries and practitioners.