HMC’s Acting Head of Psychology recognized for excellence in social work

The Association of the State of Kuwait concerned with Women's Affairs in the Arab Gulf States has recently recognized Mrs. Amira Al Eshaq, Acting Head of Psychology at the Psychiatry Hospital (a division of Hamad Medical Corporation’s Mental Health Service) for the leading role she has played in serving the community.

Mrs. Al Eshaq, was honored at a ceremony held under the slogan “Women can do it,” alongside other women from GCC countries. At the ceremony, a documentary film was shown to showcase and highlight their individual achievements and the leading roles they play in their respective communities.

Mrs. Al Eshaq was nominated for her success in leading the provision of mental health and social services to women and the community at large as well as for her efforts to combat human trafficking which earned her recognition as an international visitor (volunteer) by the United States’ State Department.

Mrs. Al Eshaq, one of the first Qatari women to work in the field of Clinical Psychology, said: "From the moment I joined HMC’s Psychiatry Department in 2003, I sought to change the traditional view of mental health in the Qatari community. I wanted to help realize Qatar's strategy for mental health and reinforce the fact that mental illness is unlike any other disease because it is often misunderstood by many people.”

Mrs. Al Eshaq added that she has collaborated with local and regional media to raise public awareness of mental health in an effort to change many people’s perception of mental illness in the community.

“I have carried out opinion polls in collaboration with many social and humanitarian institutions such as the Center for Combating Trafficking in Humans to monitor abuses against children and women and to communicate with key stakeholders,” she highlighted.

"I have also worked with Dr Najla Al Haj on the opening of the Psychiatry Clinic at the Women's Hospital to tackle issues such as postnatal depression. Work is now underway to expand such services and also to incorporate patients from the Assisted Reproductive Unit to help them manage any psychological problems they may have,” she noted.

Mrs. Al Eshaq stressed the need for the community and the media to provide support to people with mental illness and the importance of supporting their integration into the community after their recovery.

She said that her unit is planning to introduce a new set of specialized services and train and develop employees’ skills and competencies to improve services offered to patients. Mrs. Al Eshaq also added that a partnership effort is ongoing between HMC’s Mental Health Services and Qatar University to attract students from the university’s Social and Psychological Sciences Department to consider mental health as a career.