This special issue of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Anne Harmer, Manager of Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme, focuses on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian crises. A series of articles (2018) explore different aspects of mental health support in humanitarian settings. Of particular relevance for security focal points are the concluding articles in which Leslie Snider, Alison Schafer and Carina Hjelmstam Winberg summarise the findings from a retrospective study on Psychological First Aid, and Cecilie Dineson looks at the mental health needs of volunteers in humanitarian responses.