A bench and a grandmother’s ear: Zimbabwe’s novel mental health therapy spreads overseas

Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — In Zimbabwe, talk therapy involving park benches and a network of grandmothers has become a saving grace for people with mental health issues. Now the concept is being adopted in parts of the United States and elsewhere. Zimbabwe has scarce clinical mental health resources. The Friendship Bench was started by a local psychiatrist. Grandmothers from the community are equipped with basic training in problem-solving therapy and have become trusted listeners. It’s inspired by traditional practice in which grandmothers were the go-to people for wisdom in rough times.