Dr. Dixon Chibanda was one of the few practicing psychiatrists in Zimbabwe when he founded the Friendship Bench, a program that trained grandmothers to serve as “first responders” for those seeking mental health assistance in underserved communities. The program has since grown to include over 3,000 older listeners attending to more than 300,000 people all over Zimbabwe, and is now expanding to vulnerable communities in nine countries, including the United States. Chibanda talks with CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook about how older listeners can be effective at alleviating symptoms of both depression and generalized anxiety disorders.
The Friendship Bench: Bringing talk therapy into underserved communities
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