Peer Supervision Groups During Unprecedented Times

Dear Colleagues,

At this time, when humanity is struggling with the global crisis induced by Coronavirus, we as Palestinians dispersed all over the world are no exception - each of us is thrown into the mix, with our respective communities. As mental health professionals, we face this calamity, of an unfamiliar  shape and an unprecedented scope, with no relevant tool sets and with no ability to foresee what the future might have in store. How are we, in the midst of our own overwhelm, to fulfill our mission as Palestinian mental health professionals? How are we to assist our people in processing the anxieties and horror that the illness evokes and in coping realistically, adaptively and self-protectively with this crisis? 

We at the Palestine Global Mental Health Network see ourselves as obligated to take an active role in helping each other face the formidable challenges of this time period, through mutual support and peer supervision. 

To this end, we are proposing to establish collegial peer supervision groups. The groups will be meeting remotely on Zoom. The first meeting will be dedicated to brainstorming, identifying the needs, getting to know the fellow participants and understanding the unique competencies each participant can bring to the table. Each group will be limited to 10 participants, to ensure that there is adequate space for each member to participate actively. All who are interested in joining are encouraged to email us at info@pgmhn.org.

مجموعة قراءه لكتابات فرويد


الزميلات والزملاء الأعزاء، 

تطمح الشبكة الفلسطينية العالمية للصحة النفسية الى تعزيز التواصل والاثراء المهني المتبادل بين أبناء شعبنا في كافة أماكن تواجدهم. كما نرى أن  الطريق للتحرر من الاحتلال وكافة أشكال الظلم تمر عبر التواصل مع الذات، من خلال توسيع الوعي والشعور. أحد أهم التوجهات في هذا المجال هو علم النفس التحليلي الكلاسيكي الممثل بفرويد، مبتكر العلاج النفسي التحليلي وهو أول من رأى أنه من خلال الكلام  يمكن للانسان الشفاء والتغلب على عوارضه النفسية.

كذلك المحلل النفسي الفرنسي جاك لاكان،  الذي رأى نفسه ملتزما للتوجُه والفكر الذي أسسه فرويد، وقد رأى لاكان أن  للُّغَةِ دور محوري في معرفة اللاوعي واللاشعور.

نظراً لقلة الكتب في علم النفس  التحليلي المترجمة بشكل جيد للُّغةِ العربية، ونظرا لكون هذه الكتابات  مركبة ولديها ابعاد عديده، يصعب أحياناً الوصول إليها وفهمها من خلال القراءة المنفردة، قمنا بالمبادرة هذه لتكوين مجموعة قراءة في كتابات فرويد الأساسية، وذلك بتوجيه وتفسير المحلل النفسي خليل سبيت.

خليل سبيت، فلسطيني من  مهجري قرية اقرث بالجليل الاعلى، يسكن مدينة حيفا، اختصاصي نفسي عيادي ومحلل نفسي يدير مركز هانتز الصغير بحيفا. عضو مسجل في المدرسة اللاكانية الجديدة ومحاضر في عدة برامج تعليمية عيادية،  Psychotherapy. لهُ الكثير من المساهمات في ترجمة نصوص تحليلية للُّغة العربية. كذلك لديه دور مهم في إدخال علم النفس التحليلي وممارسته العملية في المدن الفلسطينية المختلفة، وذلك من خلال اعطاء  الارشاد والتدريب للطواقم المهنية.

كل من يرغب في المشاركة بهذه المجموعة بإمكانه التواصل معي: منال ابو حق على info@pgmhn.org، أو على بريد الشبكة عبر الويبسايد.

. نتمنى الصحة والسلامه للجميع

 

دعوة للمشاركة في مجموعة ارشاد متبادلة لمواجهة وباء الكورونا

الزميلات والزملاء الكرام،

في ظل الازمة التي يعيشها العالم بهذه الأيام ونعيشها نحن كفلسطينيين في كافة اماكن تواجدنا في مواجهة وباء الكورونا، وفي ظل التحديات الغير مسبوقة التي نواجهها كمهنيين في مجالات الصحة النفسية في التعامل مع الوضع القائم وفي تقديم الدعم والمساعدة لأبناء شعبنا للتغلب على الخوف ولربما أيضا حالات الهلع، الى جانب توخي الحذر والتعامل بشكل واقعي وجدي مع الخطر القائم، نرى نحن في الشبكة الفلسطينية العالمية للصحة النفسية أنه من واجبنا أن نكون جنبا إلى جنب في مواجهة هذه التحديات وتقديم الدعم والإرشاد المتبادل في مواجهة هذه الأزمة. 

لذلك نقترح في هذه المرحلة ان تقام مجموعة أولية للإرشاد المتبادل peer group supervision تلتقي عبر تطبيق zoom ويكون اللقاء الأول مكرس لعصف دماغ وتحديد الاحتياجات والتعرف على ما يمكن الاستفادة منه من خلال التجارب المهنية والانسانية لأعضاء المجموعة.

نظرا لذلك، ولإتاحة مجال لكل اعضاء المجموعة بالمشاركة الفاعلة نرى انه من الضروري ان لا يزيد العدد عن عشرة مشاركين.

كل من يرغب بالانضمام للمجموعة ولديه الاستعداد للعمل المتواصل والالتزام في حضور اللقاءات التي سيتم تحديدها في اللقاء الأول، أن يتواصل على البريد الإلكتروني لموقع الشبكة.


To Cornell Students for Justice in Palestine


We wish to sincerely thank you for the event on Friday night. The war against our people is not only waged with arms, it is a pernicious, psychological assault that targets every aspect of Palestinians’ internal and external lives and aims to crush our souls and psyche. At this time, when there is a blackout on Palestinian news, and when we feel that mainstream media, academic and professional organizations do not seem to consider the Palestinians as capable people who are quite versed and able to present their issues on their own, but rather as terrorists or victims, the panel was an important platform to present and address the human and professional aspects of our lives as Palestinians. The opportunity you gave us empowers and encourages us to persevere and remain steadfast in our struggle for justice, freedom and dignity. We look forward to further opportunities to cooperate with you and SJP members throughout the US.


عن شعار الشبكه

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تودّ الشبكة الفلسطينيّة العالميّة للصحّة النفسيّة التعبير عن خالص شكرِها وتقديرِها للمهندسة المعماريّة الفلسطينيّة الكنديّة السيدة رندة طوقان التي قامت بتصميم ورسم الشعار متناغم مع رسالة الشبكة

بالنسبة للرسالة التي يعبر عنها الشعار تظهر وسطه شجرة الزيتون التي ترمز للصّمود الفلسطينيّ؛ تتوّج الشجرة 48 حبة زيتون و 67 ورقة في إشارة إلى أحداث مفصلية في تاريخ الشعب الفلسطيني، و المتمثلة في النكبة واحتلال الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة من قبل الجيش الإسرائيلي. الشجرة بألوان العلم الفلسطيني في حين يرمز سياج الأسلاك الظاهر أمامها إلى الاحتلال والاضطهاد الذي يتعرض له الشعب الفلسطيني عبر التاريخ إضافةً إلى القيود الثقافيّة و الاجتماعيّة التي تكبّل الصحّة النفسيّة.و تعيق ازدهارها

رغم ذلك، تقف الشجرة عالياً وتشبّ على الأسلاك، في الوقت الذي تضرب جذورها في الأرض في إشارة إلى الأمل الراسخ و المقاوِم من أجل الحرّية و الحياة الإنسانية الكريمة و المبدعة و السعيدة.


Introducing Our Logo

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Palestine-Global Mental Health Network wishes to express its gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Palestinian-Canadian Architect and designer, Ms. Randa Tukan, for helping the Network develop and produce its logo.

At the center of the logo is an olive tree with protruding roots, which is meant to symbolize the Palestinians’ Sumud (our steadfast perseverance)-- planted in the land and resolved to resist, prosper and flourish. The tree has 67 leaves and 48 olives, which are meant to refer to the years 1967 and 1948, both significant in Palestinian history. The colors of the tree, its leaves and olives are those of the Palestinian flag. A barbwire is placed in front of the tree and is meant to refer to the oppression and colonization of the Palestinian nation. However, in spite of the barbwire, the tree stands tall, towering over the wire and demonstrating our faith that justice and truth will always prevail.


PGMHN at Cornell University, Students for Justice in Palestine

Mental Health Under Siege
The Case of Palestine

February 21, 2020
4:30 pm EST

 

The Israeli occupation of Palestine and escalating practices of political violence, institutional racism, and internal colonialism don’t just target the physical living conditions of the Palestinians, but aims to break the very fabric of their society, their souls, and their psyche as well. Join us for our first event of the semester, where we will be hosting a video panel of prominent Palestinian mental health professionals to present cases and discussions to illuminate the human consequences of occupation and ongoing Nakbah reality for the people of Palestine.

Speakers:

Dr. Samah Jaber is a psychiatrist practicing in the public and the private sectors within Palestine in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. She is the head of the Mental Health Unit within the Palestinian Ministry of Health. She is a published author and researcher.

Ms. Rana Nashashibi is a certified counseling psychologist living and practicing in Jerusalem. She is the director of the Palestinian Counselling Center. She is a lecturer, clinical supervisor and published author.

Dr. Mustafa Qossoqsi is a clinical psychologist, a psychotherapist, an expert in refugee care and a poet. He is currently the primary clinical psychologist at the psychiatric department of the EMMS Nazareth Hospital, and runs a private
practice in Shefa’mr.

Lama Khouri is a psychotherapist living and practicing in New York. She is also a clinical supervisor at the Arab American Family Support Center in Brooklyn. She is a published researcher and public speaker.

Mental Health Training in the Service of Israeli Violence Towards Palestinians

A statement issued by the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network


The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network (PGMHN) strongly condemns the recent decision of the Israeli Ministry of Health to award to “Ariel University” the bid for organizing and implementing a Continuing Professional Development program in mental health-- a program which will be required for Palestinian psychologists who live in Israel, among others. “Ariel University” is located within the Israeli settlement of Ariel, a settlement built on Palestinian land within the town of Salfit in the West Bank that has been occupied since 1967. PGMHN finds it particularly egregious and cynical that one of the courses claims to address the issue of “cultural sensitivity” in the context of psychotherapy and mental health services. We view this as yet another attempt to entrench the racist and dehumanizing settler-colonial discourse.

It is hard to overlook the derisive contradiction apparent in locating a program ostensibly supportive of mental health and cultural sensitivity within a context of overt violence and human rights violations.

Furthermore, the promotion of this program violates several core principles of the Mental Health profession’s code of ethics, including, among other things, first do no harm; safeguarding individual dignity and justice; and maintaining integrity of practice. This program by its very nature legitimizes, normalizes, and white-washes the Israeli occupation and its escalating practices of political, racial, and cultural repression.

Against this backdrop, PGMHN is calling on:

  1. Our Palestinian colleagues to be alert and hold on to their moral compass in resisting the occupation of the Palestinian mind.

  2. Our colleagues internationally to condemn this hypocritical policy and to exert pressure on the Israeli government to reverse it.

  3. PGMHN further calls on our colleagues worldwide to support the right of Palestinian mental health professionals to obtain relevant training opportunities without assaulting their human, cultural, and political dignity and without forcibly involving them in a settler-colonial project which targets and mars the identity and consciousness of their people.


بيان استنكار صادر عن الشبكة الفلسطينية العالمية للصحة النفسية

تستنكر الشبكة الفلسطينية العالميّة للصحّة النفسيّة PGMHN إسناد وزارة الصحّة الاسرائيليّة مهمّة تنظيم و تنفيذ استكمالات في مجال الصحّة النفسيّة تشمل الاختصاصيّين النفسيّين الفلسطينيين في إسرائيل إلى جامعة أريئيل المقامة على أراضي سلفيت الفلسطينيّة المحتلّة. إمعاناً في ترسيخ الخطاب الاستعماريّ الاستعلائيّ يتطرّق أحد الاستكمالات إلى مسألة "الحساسيّة الثقافيّة" في سياق العلاج النفسي وخدمات الصحّة النفسيّة بشكل عام.

لا يَخفى على أحد التناقض الصارخ بين العنف الاستعماريّ وانتهاك حقوق الإنسان الذي تجسّده المستوطنات ورفع راية الصحّة النفسيّة و "الحساسيّة الثقافيّة".

ترى الشبكة في تنظيم الاستكمالات أعلاه تسخيفاً فظّاً ومُداناً لمبادئ الحرّيّة والكرامة والعدل التي ينهض عليها الخطاب الإنسانيّ للصحّة النفسيّة وتسخير هذه المبادئ لشرعنة الواقع الاحتلالي وتصعيد ممارسات الاضطهاد السياسيّ والعرقيّ والثقافيّ المُكَرِّسَة له.

يقوّض هذا النهج جوهر الميثاق الأخلاقي الذي يجتمع عليه ممارسو الصحّة النفسيّة في كلّ مكان.

ندعو زملاءَنا في البلاد إلى اليقظة والتشبّث ببوصلتهم الأخلاقيّة في مواجهة محاولات احتلال العقل الفلسطينيّ، كما ونهيب بزملائنا في العالم أن يدينوا هذا النهج الكارثيّ وأن يمارسوا الضغوطات لإفشالِه ودعم حقّ الزملاء الفلسطينيين في الحصول على فرص وإمكانيات تدريب مهنيّ في مجال الصحّة النفسيّة دون المسّ بكرامتهم الإنسانيّة و الثقافيّة و السياسيّة، و دون توريطِهم عنوةً في مشروع استعماريّ احتلاليّ يستهدف شعبَهم. ووعيَهم.


P-GMHN Statement on the Demolition of Sur Bahir

Sur Bahir 

Statement by the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network


We, the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network (PGMHN), call upon the international mental health community to join us in holding Israel accountable for its violent and oppressive actions in Palestine—including the imminent threat of displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from East Jerusalem (see UN report on home demolitions).

One such action took place during the early hours of July 22, 2019, when hundreds of Israeli soldiers demolished the Palestinian neighborhood of Sur Bahir in the outskirts of occupied Jerusalem. Nearly a hundred Palestinian men, women, and children were ejected from their homes before dawn and forced to watch helplessly while their residences were demolished and their belongings and livelihoods destroyed (see UN report on Sur Bahir).  To add to the Palestinians’ devastation and humiliation, the Israeli soldiers who executed the demolition were videotaped rejoicing at this transgression(see Mondoweiss report on the video). 

These recent massive house demolitions present yet another stark and painful example of escalating colonial Israeli expansionist policy in clear violation of international agreements and laws as well as violation of the Oslo Accord.  In fact, during the first four months of 2019, Israel demolished more Palestinian homes than during the entire 12 months of 2018(see UN report on home demolitions).

Israel’s relentless attacks on Palestinians’ basic human rights, freedom, dignity, and safety have gone on for more than 71 years. In this way, the Palestinian Nakbah (Catastrophe) has been occurring daily since 1948. Yet the Israeli colonialist policies of ethnic cleansing, forcible displacement, and apartheid practice amount to war crimes according to UN experts (see UN report). Such dehumanizing policies have been a systematic assault on the core of Palestinian selfhood—their resilience and steadfastness in the face of relentless oppression, their emotional and psychological survival. All of these policies have resulted in intergenerational psychological trauma and catastrophic psychosocial consequences. 

We at PGMHN hope that our colleagues everywhere will join us in taking a moral stance and an active role in bringing an end to Israel’s persistent onslaught on the Palestinians.

The Steering Committee 
The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network



Letter to the European Network for Mental Health Service Evaluation (ENMESH)

20 July 2019 

From Palestine-Global, UK and USA Mental Health Networks 

To the Members of the Executive Board of the European Network for Mental Health Service Evaluation (ENMESH): 

We, the undersigned, belong to organizations that have hundreds of members, most of whom are mental health professionals—psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and those in allied disciplines such as public health. Many of us are published researchers, award-winning professionals and renowned in our field. 

We are writing to express our support for the decision of ENMESH to hold its 2021 conference outside of the state of Israel. We understand that this was a "practical decision, not a political or permanent decision," as mentioned on your website. We also understand that you  took the decision because you felt that ENMESH did not have "adequate resources to handle the type of campaign to which some conferences held in Israel are subject." 

Surely, international conferences held in Israel might have to face to campaigns to dissuade people from participating and this might create additional work and effort. However, we would argue that your decision is wise not only on practical grounds but more importantly on ethical ones. Your decision underscores the significance of the mental health professions ethic of “do no harm.” Holding a conference in Israel indirectly supports a government whose abuse and oppression of the Palestinian people has been going on for over 70 years. 

Please allow us to explain: The Israeli government continues to engage in human rights violations and violations of international law (see UN report); ethnic cleansing has not abated (see map of ethnic cleansing); houses are bulldozed daily even though the owners have not been found guilty of a crime (see example from Haaretz newspaper); every night the Israeli Occupation Force raids the homes of Palestinians to terrorize the population and crush their spirit (listen to IDF soldiers); electricity, food, and water are rationed (see report from The Guardian on limiting calorie input in Gaza, half of its population are children). Gaza is the largest open-air prison on earth. The siege of Gaza has been maintained for years. Parents find every way possible to send their children to safety elsewhere, knowing that they may never see them again. The people of Gaza’s peaceful attempt to express their desire for liberation in what was known as the “Great March of Return” was met with violence and killing. (See report. Please also see this report). 

We share the view of ENMESH that protesting the actions of the Israeli government does not target all individuals who are citizens of Israel. Moreover, we share the hope that the need for protests is temporary and that the state of Israel will soon desist from its 70-year pattern of land confiscation, home demolition, arrest, imprisonment, and torture of children, extrajudicial assassination, shooting peaceful demonstrators, mass detention without trial, and restriction of movement—as well as granting full citizenship to all of its residents. Meanwhile, we encourage the members of the Executive Board to stand firm by its decision regarding holding its 2021 conference elsewhere, not only to avoid controversy but to embrace human rights as an inviolate element of health, and to stand up for those rights in the name of mental health, public health, and human decency. 

We welcome conversation with you going forward, With respectful regards, 

Steering Committee Palestine-Global Mental Health Network 

Steering Committee USA-Palestine Mental Health Network https://usapalmhn.org/ 

Steering Group UK-Palestine Mental Health Network https://ukpalmhn.com/ 


Launching of the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network

(Article published in Mondoweiss on June 24, 2019)

Palestinians suffer daily under an occupation that leaves them little room to breathe: checkpoints that make basic living nearly impossible; nightly unanticipated raids by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF); children no older than 11 or 12 snatched in the middle of the night, jailed, and beaten into submission; and teargas that is used with abandon, even when there is no civil unrest to control. As a result, the population is left struggling to maintain hope in a life that is miserable at best: depression, suicidality, anxiety, and traumatized living are experienced by a large percentage of the population. Young men who end up seeking mental health services often report such despair and hopelessness that they contemplate creating a confrontation with the IDF; perhaps they’d be shot and killed and thus end this sheer hell of a life.

On the international front, Palestinians are repeatedly made to feel as if they do not exist. At times, even seemingly well-meaning individuals from various parts of the world, who understand the predicament of the Palestinians and want to support them, are unable to grasp the hurt and humiliation one feels when time and time again she is told, directly or indirectly: “we see you are suffering, but need to be selective when choosing to speak or act on your behalf.” A case in point is the upcoming meeting of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (IARPP) held in Tel Aviv between June 20 and 23. While some participants, including Israeli prominent professionals, have been mobilizing to support the Palestinians’ call to hold the meeting elsewhere in a nearby location easily accessible for both sides, more have not.

Right to left, Dr. Eyad Othman, Rana Nashashibi, Dr. Mustafa Qasqassi, Dr. Samah Jabr, Manal Abu Haq, Yoad Ghandari, Fathi Flaifel. (Photo: courtesy of the author)

Unfortunately, many participants who also voice support for and understanding of the Palestinians’ cause, do not see the contradiction between such a sentiment and the fact that they are supporting a meeting which Palestinian mental health professionals cannot attend, due to restriction of movement. Nor do they see that supporting such a meeting compromises the Palestinian civil society’s non-violent struggle for liberation through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. In fact, in a petition launched last year by the USA-Palestine Mental Health Network with the support of the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network and Jewish Voice for Peace, more than 1500 mental health professionals from all over the world urged IARPP to hold the meeting elsewhere, but their calls went unanswered.

On June 9, in a move to fortify their professional stance, to support their people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health, and to reclaim their power and self-determination, Palestinian mental health professionals met to launch the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network. This monumental event was organized in cooperation with the Palestinian Social and Psychological Syndicate, the Arab Psychological Association, and the Palestinian Red Crescent (al-Hilal) and held at the latter’s headquarters in al-Bireh.

The atmosphere was filled with enthusiasm and hope. More than 130 Palestinian mental health professionals from Nazareth, Haifa, Ramleh, Nablus, Hebron, Ramallah, Gaza, and Jerusalem were in attendance. Also in attendance were Palestinian professionals from the United States and the United Kingdom who participated through video-conferencing.

The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network is to become an entity that adopts professional and ethical stances uniting the people of Palestine, regardless of their geographical location. The Network aims to promote the ideals of mental wellbeing, liberation, dignity, and social justice for peoples and societies in general and for Palestinians in particular. By articulating a professional discourse of personal freedom and respect for human rights, it also aims to increase public awareness of psycho-social issues which affect and hinder colonized people’s aspirations for a dignified living. The Network hopes to employ theoretical and pragmatic approaches to promote the understanding of fundamental human needs for liberation, and thus contribute to Palestinian resilience in the face of and resistance to the violence inherent in colonialism.

Furthermore, the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network will enhance and strengthen the work of mental health solidarity networks in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Belgium, which were formed with the same goals in mind. In addition, it is the goal of the Network to encourage and facilitate the establishment of similar entities worldwide.

The launching event was opened with speeches that emphasized the need for such a network. Following an opening plenary, the participants were divided into groups that addressed specific topics. The proceedings of the group discussions were conveyed in a closing session, where it was decided to establish a task force that will develop a paper conceptualizing the network’s framework and strategies including its administrative structures. In addition, a committee was established to carry out, as promptly as possible, projects and initiatives agreed upon during the conference.

The meeting was particularly heartwarming and moving that through technological means, barriers, checkpoints, borders and walls were overcome and conquered allowing Palestinians from all over the globe to gather and unite. It is the aspiration of the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network that such endeavors will continue to unite the Palestinian people in spirit, goals, and common purpose for the benefit of all.

Written by Samah Jabr and Lama Khouri