As the world observes May as Mental Health Awareness month, the Middle East Psychological Association launched the Sultanate of Oman Country Chapter at a function held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday.
Oman is the seventh country for the association, which was launched in 2010 in Kuwait. It was formed to unify psychologists and other mental health professionals in promoting and supporting excellence in the practice of Psychology.
“I have been connected with MEPA since 2015, and now it is here in Sultanate of Oman and this would put all of us under one umbrella. We really need it and it is a good beginning for the future Psychologists and mental health professionals in the Sultanate of Oman. And I am very happy to work with the team. I hope we will be able to achieve important developments,” said HH Sayyidah Basma al Said, Founder of Whispers of Serenity and the Not Alone Campaign.
MEPA has three essential goals: To de-stigmatise the regional view of psychology, provide the region with resources and education for practitioners and adhere to an ethical code of practice.
The Middle East Psychological Association, a non-profit organisation, will also provide ongoing professional development activities in workshops, training and public information for consumers of mental health resources and social service professionals.
“We are trying to collaborate because we sometimes need professional development as therapists and at the same time we do not have to go all the way to the UK or USA to get the training. We do have qualified trainers in the Middle East,” pointed out Nutaila al Kharousi, Secretary of the MEPA Sultanate of Oman Chapter.
In Oman, the field of psychology is growing, with more and more students graduating in this major. However, they are facing challenges and MEPA could provide the support.
“Some of the graduates find it difficult to find a job or do not know where to go, and there are not many internships and training. So now that we have the Oman Chapter of MEPA, which is official and professional, we can work more together - government and private sector.
Of course, we as therapists need to do more than just intervention; we should also do more research under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development,” Al Kharousi noted.
According to the mental health professionals, having the Sultanate of Oman Chapter of MEPA is a big milestone for the field of mental health in the country. They hope to attract more recognition from other areas while realising the importance of mental health.
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