# Is task-sharing with lay or community health workers safe and effective for mental health care?

URL: https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/is-task-sharing-with-lay-or-community-health-workers-safe-and-effective-for-mental-health-care
For: Executives | Mental health practice | Reviewed by Independent clinical reviewer, Registered mental health clinician, Kenya | Last reviewed 8 November 2026

**Answer:** There is good evidence for it when training, supervision and referral routes are in place. In Zimbabwe, the Friendship Bench trial found that trained lay health workers delivering problem-solving therapy reduced symptoms of common mental disorders more than enhanced usual care. The programme has since been adapted in Kenya. WHO's mhGAP supports task-sharing with non-specialists. Leaders must fund ongoing supervision, define what lay workers do and do not do, and set clear escalation for risk.

Sources: MHPSS Network: https://www.mhpss.net/toolkit/curated-space-for-psychological-interventions/resource/the-friendship-bench-model - King's College London: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/spotlight/friendship-bench-community-led-approach-to-mental-health-care - LSHTM Research Online / Global Mental Health: https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/id/eprint/4661645/ - World Health Organization: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/87232/9789241564618_eng.pdf

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