Group Therapy for Depression
Depression affects over 280 million people, yet fewer than 25% in low- and middle-income countries ever receive care. Connect’s Mental Health program trains local facilitators to run structured weekly group therapy, with every session app-guided, verified, and paid only when confirmed.
From facilitator training to verified group session.
Connect applies its Learn-Deliver-Verify-Pay model to group therapy. Locally Led Organizations recruit and manage facilitators, who receive digital training and then run structured weekly group sessions, tracked session by session, paid per verified completion.
Facilitator Training & Certification
Frontline Worker facilitators complete digital training on their assigned protocol: IPT-G or gPM+. The IPT-G curriculum runs approximately 35 hours; facilitators must pass in-app certification before being assigned groups. Training covers how to run sessions, track participant wellbeing using validated tools like the PHQ-9, and manage safety referrals.
Weekly Group Sessions
Facilitators run structured weekly sessions with groups of 6-8 participants. IPT-G runs 8 sessions per intervention; gPM+ runs 5 weekly sessions. The Connect app guides the facilitator through each session, providing step-by-step prompts, counselling scripts, and structured activities. Each facilitator manages up to 4 concurrent groups. Locally Led Organizations assign cases, manage rosters, and supervise facilitators.
Session-by-Session Verification
Dimagi runs verification algorithms on each submitted session: GPS-based location checks, session duration (flagging sessions that are too short), and requirements that data be entered during the session itself. Claims that fail verification are rejected, and the partner organization is told why.
Pay per Verified Session
Facilitators are paid per confirmed, verified session, not per training completed or group enrolled. Locally Led Organizations receive payment after Dimagi’s verification algorithms clear each session’s data. Scores are tracked at midline and endline to monitor participant outcomes alongside delivery metrics.
Group Therapy at $25 per person treated.
Three self-funded validation pilots achieved $50 per person treated. Connect is now working with existing LLO partners to drive that cost below $25, unlocking 40,000 people treated for every $1M of funding.
Pilot partners delivering group therapy at scale.
Three Locally Led Organizations have piloted group therapy and validated the model. Each brings local trust, clinical backing, and a pathway to government integration.
Nama Wellness Center
Introduced IPT-G in 2021, treating depression and anxiety in 655 women and girls to date. Connect’s IPT-G app supported the initial pilot of 50 clients. Nama, in collaboration with Uganda’s Ministry of Health, is scaling to three districts, targeting 1,200 women and girls.
Komo Learning Centres
Worked with locally hired facilitators to deliver school-based IPT-G sessions for over 50 children under the age of 18. Backed by Uganda’s Ministry of Education, demonstrating the model’s adaptability beyond adult clinical populations.
World Vision Ethiopia
Building on the USAID-funded SPIR II program in Tigray, where the target population exceeds 80,000, WVE deployed 120 Frontline Workers across a 5-week gPM+ pilot, running 3–4 groups each and supporting over 2,000 individuals. Backed by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health.
The most cost-effective mental health program we know of.
If you’re interested in funding sessions, co-designing the program, or bringing it to a new context, reach out.
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