“In-depth Clinical
training for Mental Health Professionals in to Strengthen the Sustainability of
Psychosocial Health Care in the West Bank” is
an accredited long-term, locally based and culturally adapted developmental
Psychotherapy clinical training program that combines theory with practice.
It offers professional graduates a High Diploma in Community Mental
Health/ Psychotherapy Track, the first of its kind in the West Bank.
http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html
The project is currently
running, in its second phase in partnership with Al-Quds University, and
clinical training partners, such as other selected NGOs, CSOs and Mental Health
centers in the middle, north and south of the West Bank. Cycle II (Phase two)
will produce an additional 30 locally-trained Palestinian Psychotherapists.
Students will be enrolled in theoretical, practical and vocational training in
two groups, during the course of 3 years. The duration of the Cycle II project
is 3 years and 7 months, and will encompass 2 separate groups.The duration of
the training program, from the perspective of the student is two years.
The first group of 15
students enrolled in September
2017 and will graduate
in 2019 while the second group of 15 trainees will enroll in September 2018 and graduate in 2020. Upon completion of 2
years, graduates will receive an accredited High Diploma in Community Mental
Health/ Psychotherapy Track and will have an option to continue and
complete a Masters in Psychotherapy in the third year which (extra 10 credit
hours).
Students will be
attending theoretical, intensive and specialized courses at Al-Quds University
twice a week, in which they are exposed to different local and guest lecturers
over a period of 4 semesters (2 years) and are assigned 1 or 2 individual cases
to work with. 30 students from different backgrounds (Social Workers,
Psychologists, Mental Health Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Psychiatrists,
etc.) will attend academic courses at Al-Quds University 2 days a week to
accomplish 27 hours credits and will undergo hours of training and in-job
clinical training in their organizations besides clinical training and
residency in other mental health institutions. Moreover, students will going
through practical training varying from group supervisions, individual
supervisions, clinical seminars at Sunna Al-Amal premises which is equipped
with private rooms for group-oriented supervision and learning, .
They will be also conducting community raising-awareness sessions and internal
training workshops for the staff in the organization they are affiliated with
so they can transfer the therapeutic language, terminologies and knowledge to
them.
The project aims to It
aims to bring the students' enhanced capacities and expertise to the community
so they can become more accessible, responsive, coherent, and closer to
the needs of the community in a culturally competent manner. Also, strengthen
the capacities of mental health organizations and services delivered through
the students which will sustain long-term development by creating a safe
environment to embrace the weakest people so they can feel safe again.
Beyond the provision of
productive tools to deal with violence both within the family and in the public
sphere, the project is also expected to yield more distal outcomes of awareness
raising. The Palestinian society is in a process of change; however, people
often lack the knowledge and tools to deal with the psychological problems that
arise from the political situation as well as from the changes that arise from
modernization and urbanization. The integral part of psychological treatment
and interventions aimed at rehabilitation entail the raising of awareness for
various aspects of civil and human rights (e.g. rights of expression,
children's rights and women's rights) and thus generate changes in the
respective society. the students will implement a number of community
awareness-raising sessions in order to reduce the stigma associated with
psychotherapy within the community and a number of internal training workshops
for the staff of the partner mental health institutions that the students are
affiliated with throughout the project.