GCMHP Participates in Conference Organized by PCC in West Bank

Gaza Community Mental Health Programme participated in the international conference organized by the Palestinian Counseling Center in Al-Bireh, West Bank.

Representing GCMHP, the conference was attended by Dr Yasser Abu Jamei, Director General of GCMHP, Mrs Rawya Hammam, Director of the Training and Scientific Research Department, Dr Muhammad Al-Zeer, Head of the Academic and Professional Programmes Unit, and Ms Enas Judeh, Head of the Training and Capacity Building Unit.

The conference which carried the title “Psychotherapy, Therapist and Therapeutic Relationship in the Context of Israeli Settler Colonialism in Palestine” lasted for two days, from 20 to 21 March, 2023, and was attended by a number of professionals, academics, and experts in the field of mental health from all different areas of Palestine and in the diaspora.

The themes of the conference focused on mental health in Palestine and its impact in the context of colonial occupation, in addition to the professional standards of the work of therapists and counsellors, as well as the psychological effects that the Palestinian citizen face under the occupation, and which makes the field of mental health in Palestine of an exceptional nature.

The participation of GCMHP in the conference came as a response to an invitation sent by the Palestinian Center for Counseling.

Dr Abu Jamei gave a speech at the first session on the second day of the conference, in which he also served as a moderator. During his speech, Dr Abu Jamei referred to the fact that “through our participation in this conference, we affirm the unity of our Palestinian people in their stances, struggles, and concerns”.

He also expressed his appreciation for the regional and international experts and specialists who participated in the conference and extended his thanks for the friends of Palestine across the world, who take any opportunity to show their solidarity and support.

 Ms Rawiya Hamam, who also moderated one of the conference sessions, congratulated the Palestinian Center for Counseling on the occasion of its 40th anniversary and the national achievements it has achieved made on the professional level.

On his part, Dr Muhammad Al-Zeer presented via zoom a working paper on “Professional Supervision And its Role in Supporting and Empowering Professionals’, while Ms Enas Judeh presented a paper on “the Experience of Making  Intervention Using Psychodrama’.