GCMHP Concludes Two Training Courses on ‘the Most Common Mental Health Disorders’ and ‘Stress Management and Selfcare

In collaboration with Islamic Relief- France and Save the Children-Palestine, the Training and Research Unit has recently concluded a training course titled ‘The Most Common Psychological Disorders- Detection and Referral.’ 12 specialists working with the Islamic Relief and Save the Children participated. This session was also attended by Ms. Rawya Hamam, Head of the Training and Research Unit at GCMHP and Dr. Iman Hijju, a psychiatrist at GCMHP. This course was conducted with the participation of many specialists from the programme and was held at the Training Hall of the main office of the Programme in Gaza.

The thirteen-hour course which was conducted over three days included subjects like: the most common disorders among children, identifying the stages and properties of adolescence, and mechanisms of identifying and referring cases.

Ms. Hamam thanked the participants for their valuable input through the training and asked them to apply what they learned in their work emphasising the necessity of continuing to collaborate with the Islamic Relief and Save the Children as this is the first training course to be conducted with both organisations. The participants also expressed thanks to those who conducted the training and to their organisations who allowed them to have this opportunity, demanding more courses of this sort.

To conclude the course, Ms. Hamam and Dr. Hijju provided certificates and training material to the participants.

In addition, a collaboration with the European Hospital in Gaza has resulted in a Stress Management and Selfcare course with the participation of 20 members of the medical team of the Oncology Department at the hospital. Ms. Inas Jouda, Head of the Training Unit at GCMHP, and specialist Khitam Abu Shawareb from the programme, and Dr. Wisam Qishta, Head of the Mental Health Unit at the European Hospital attended this concluding session at the training hall of the hospital.

The two-day course aimed at providing the participants with information about: the concept of psychological shock, stress and its consequences, as well as selfcare skills and techniques.

Ms. Jouda and Dr. Qishta thanked the participants for their commitment and interaction hoping the knowledge they had acquired will be implemented in their personal and professional lives. They also emphasised the importance of the continued collaboration between GCMHP and the European Hospital. The participants in turn said that the course added a great deal of valuable experience and information to their knowledge and requested more similar courses in different fields.

Gaza Community Mental Health Programme

Public Relations Unit