HIV in Africa and Kenya. Secondly, we discuss HIV related mental health problemscommon in Kenya and prevalence of HIV related morbidity and mortality in thisvulnerable group. We then map out the nature of HIV services in hospital settingsand underscore the paucity of culturally rooted, relevant evidence based psychosocialinterventions that encourage health seeking behaviors. With this background, wedraw out our team’s emphasis on utilizing a common elements therapeutic approach indrawing out a peer group psychosocial intervention offered at the Comprehensive CareCentre of Kenyatta National Hospital. We share our conceptual framework developediteratively by multiple partnership discussions and then delineate specific ‘commonelements’ from different approaches and treatments for HIV positive adolescents. Weshare a novel health systems implementation approach of developing interventionsthat are curative and preventative through multidisciplinary partnership models.

Relevance to innovation. We share an innovative common elements therapeuticapproach that is evidence based and a popular option in mental health care indeveloped countries. We intend to adapt the novel model in the Kenyan context, toachieve positive outcomes in clinical and mental health indicators. Its advantage isthat it is usable by health care workers and peer supporters with diverse levels oftraining and experience in mental health. It can also be contextualized to suit healthcare in low and middle income contexts without losing its impact potential. Whentrained in its use, health care workers can be able to scale it to diverse populationsin other health care settings in Kenya and beyond.