Dixon is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Friendship Bench Zimbabwe. He provides vision and leadership anchored in rigorous research which has resulted in over 60 peer reviewed publications over a 10 year period. Dixon builds capacity of the local team to deliver Friendship Bench in diverse settings in and outside Zimbabwe. He is fund raising to ensure sustainability of the administration of Friendship Bench and scale-up strategy over time.
People living with HIV alongside common mental health disorders may be three times more likely to maintain a low level of virus through medication if supported with therapy through the Friendship Bench project, according to new study results.
The world is in the grips of a mental health crisis. People living with common mental disorders, including those who also need support to manage a long-term condition, are desperately seeking help but don't know where to turn. In an ideal situation, every patient needing psychiatric care would have access to one-on-one therapy with a trained doctor. Unfortunately, even wealthier health systems lack the capacity to offer such services as widely as is needed. The Friendship Bench offers an opportunity to fill this void and to reach patients within the heart of their own communities.