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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

“Not Alone” mental health campaign heeds to Nizwa

2017-02-28-PHOTO-00000717
2017-02-28-PHOTO-00000717
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Whispers of Serenity, the first mental wellness clinic in Oman, launched an initiative titled “Not Alone Convoy” in December last year, following the success of its previous campaigns since 2014. This convoy includes a panel of mental health experts, prominent media personalities and dedicated volunteers that travel to six cities across the country, with the aim of highlighting the importance of mental health in an engaging and inclusive way.


The convoy was warmly welcomed in Nizwa last Saturday the 25th of February, where members of the Nizwa Volunteering Team and Al-Saada Charity Team for Widows and Orphans joined forces to facilitate and prepare the setting for the event.


The panel of speakers included Dr Amira Al Raidan, Psychiatrist and Head of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, Samah Al Wahaibi, innovative Fashion Designer, and Suhair Al Amri, Psychologist at the Ministry of Education.


The three speakers highlighted the importance of mental health in schools, the workplace and even at one’s own home. They went on to distinguish between different forms of stress, the importance of spreading positive energy, the prevalence of drug addiction as well as social media addiction, and most importantly, the need for dialogue to solve these issues with children.


Dania Al Zadjali (Primary school teacher) complemented this with a short talk on the problem of phone addiction amongst children. There was also a role-play by Mazoon Al Zadjali (volunteer), who presented an act demonstrating the anxiety associated with the missing of a flight and boarding of a plane, thus highlighting the normality of this situation.


The target behind visiting different cities is to raise the caliber of awareness regarding mental health issues as well as to enable people who may be suffering from stress, anxiety, depression and/or other issues to seek help.


The topics addressed were split into two sessions, one addressing children and one tailored for adults. Some technical questions were raised and answered by the team of experts, who were also available to answer questions addressed anonymously.


Whispers of Serenity Clinic extends its sincerest gratitude to Mohsin Haider Darwish for providing the team with transport, and to the Nizwa Volunteering Team and Al-Saada Charity Team for Widows and Orphans that helped make its trip to Nizwa a success and for also allowing the group to explore the traditional history of Bait Al Safah in the adjacent Wilayat Al Hamra, a truly hidden gem in Oman.


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