3.3.5.Access to students and staff for mental health support
All students and staff working at the Lebanese University are covered by welfare social security in all kinds of services, including mental health support free of charge and at any time. In addition to having some events that allow promoting this adequate mental health from different aspects.
The Occupational Therapy and Midwifery departments of the Faculty of Public Health (SI) of the Lebanese University held the scientific day on the theme of "Mental Health" that took place on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, at the Lebanese University - Hadath Campus, conference room of the Institute of Industrial Research-IRI.
Mental Health
The Coaching Platform by Progressive Energy - by Mrs Arij Kaissi, Educational Psychologist, Executive and Leadership Coach, made a free workshop about, how to be more emotionally intelligent?!, on September 20. 2019. Location: Nabatiye, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
How to be more emotionally intelligent?!
The Occupational Therapy and Midwifery Departments of the Faculty of Public Health - Branch 1 of the Lebanese University organized a conference on mental health, under the patronage and presence of the President of the National Commission for Women’s Affairs, Mrs. Claudine Aoun Roukouz, and the presence of MP Salim Khoury, Dean of the College of Health, Professor Nina Zeidan, Director of the College Prof. Samir Taha, Director of the Industrial Research Center, Dr. Bassam El-Forn, Head of the Legal Midwifery Department, Dr. Zina Train, Head of Occupational Therapy Department, Dr. Sarkis Abi Tannous, Head of the Aseel Center, Mrs. Maliha Al-Sadr, in addition to a number of department heads, professors, trainers and students in the college.
Conference on mental health
The conference aimed to enhance awareness of the importance of mental health and how to deal with the pressures of daily life and to enhance university students' knowledge about mental health.
Dr. Sarkis Abi Tannous, head of the Occupational Therapy Department at the Lebanese University, talks about mental health in the Sports Field program on Mayadin screen Sarkis Abi Tannous Sports Field.
Occupational Therapy Department
The importance of feeling safe and managing stress in our lives with Dr. Sarkis Abi Tannous, Head of Occupational Therapy Department at the College of Health 1 Sarkis Abi Tannous.
Occupational Therapy Department at the College of Health
Due to the multiple catastrophes witnessed by the Lebanese community, including the economic crisis, the COVID-19 outbreak, and the Beirut Port Explosion, the LU formed psychological support unit named "Nehna Haddak" (We are beside you) composed of 700 students of psychology specialization working under the supervision of specialized professors and distributed all over the Lebanese territories to provide mental health support to those in need of students and citizens.
Students of the Department of Psychology at the Lebanese University - Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences concluded Phase 1 of the "Psychological assessment" for people affected by the Beirut port explosion, within “Nehna Haddak” initiative, one of the teams of the LU Task Force (LUTF).
Psychological assessment
The announcement took place on 14 September 2020 during a meeting at the LUTF center in the presence of Professor Ahmed Rabah, Dean of the Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences, Dr. Rasha Tadmouri and Dr. Adiba Hamdan from the Department of Psychology, Dr. Anis Shaaya, Coordinator of the Department of Archeology at the Deanship of the Faculty of Letters, Dr. Hassan Salameh, head of LUTF, in addition to volunteers from students and graduates.
The volunteer students thanked Dean Rabah after issuing a decision to count their volunteering hours as part of their training to obtain permission to practice the profession. The report included the following key points:
1400 volunteers in “Nehna Haddak” initiative from the students specializing in Psychology
208 volunteers within the psychological field work teams
110 volunteers in the hotline of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)
20 volunteers in the Rafik Hariri International Airport to assist MoPH in PCR tests
25 hotlines to receive calls and psychological counseling from Beirut
120 hotlines to receive calls and psychological counseling from other Lebanese areas
Receipt of +700 calls for psychological counseling or request for help since the beginning of COVID-19 crisis
Receipt of +1500 calls on MoPH hotline since the beginning of COVID-19 crisis
Communication with more than 7 thousand people and families to offer psychological support
+200 tickets to transfer cases to receive necessary psychological and medical follow-up
Provision of about 250 COVID-19 psychological awareness materials
Organization of orientation and mentoring meetings for volunteer teams with Dr. Jacqueline Saad and Dr. Mary Ange Nohra
Conducting two sessions on psychological first aid and TFT technology with the Kuwaiti “NAFAS Association” and the Egyptian “SHEZLONG Association”, with the participation of about 800 students and specialists
On site communication and coordination with the majority of volunteer bodies (universities, local and international associations, etc.)
Opening volunteering for Psychology from private universities (USJ - NDU - HAIGAZIAN)
Opening volunteering for specialists from different fields (psychiatry - speech specialization, sensory-kinesthetic and occupational therapy, etc.)
Conducting interviews with various visual, audio and printed media
Supporting awareness campaigns and psychological counseling through social media
Since raising our level of psychological immunity is equivalent to the importance of raising it physically, the LU participated, through the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences and the Ministry of Public Health, in implementing the "Comprehensive Plan for Psychological Support" against COVID-19, in partnership with the WHO and civil society organizations.
Since psychological immunity is as important as physical immunity, the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) of the Ministry of Public Health intends to introduce and implement the "Comprehensive psychological intervention plan" to fight coronavirus, in partnership with the World Health Organization, the Lebanese University and International Medical Corps (IMC).
Comprehensive psychological intervention plan
Being the national partner from the beginning of the crisis, the "Psychological Support Group" from the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences (FLHS) at the Lebanese University, will be joining the "Organized Psychological Support" campaign, which will be providing support, counseling and psychological accompaniment to those in need (coronavirus patients, suspected patients, quarantined patients, and the relevant medical staff).
Dr. Ahmed Rabah, FLHS Dean, pointed out that the "Psychological Support Group" will be composed of professors and graduates who have permission to practice the profession, and their work will be distributed in several axes.
The Lebanese University has supported the local community for free due to the explosion and the pandemic that has affected people's mental health, from different spheres. Giving different types of support.
Lebanese University supporting the local community
Centre MINE made the Challenge to Change's virtual workshop with Coach Arij Kaissi. The workshop, your guide to better mental health, was provided you will essential tools needed to activate your coping mechanisms, remain calm during current calamities and, become more productive, positive and sharp in mind.
Challenge to Change's virtual workshop
This webinar will go through all the basics of relationships in life, self-relationship most importantly, the reasons behind the failure of relationships, tools to tap into the inner self, learn the language of self-reflection, and how to manage and improve communication with others and the self. The aim of this webinar is to help people maintain healthy relationships and to bring back the concept of “happily ever after” in a modern and realistic way .
Basics of relationships in life
Students of the medical faculties of the LU (Faculty of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy) organized a health day (MEDFEST 2020) to focus on mental health.
MEDFEST 2020 included educational seminars on gum disease, medicine, mental health, food, drug addiction, and organ donation, in addition to a blood donation campaign and an emergency maneuver.