Access to students and staff for mental health support

Through the Beirut Arab University Health Center (BAUHC), the university offers a Psychosocial Unit for students and staff seeking help with problems that directly address their daily life, environment, family environment that affect their health and well-being. BAUHC, located on the ground floor of the Hariri Building on the Beirut Campus of the Beirut Arab University (BAU).

In the light of the accelerating rhythm of modern life and the increasing needs of university students for support, both psychologically and socially, to be able to better face the stressors and difficulties of daily life, the Faculty of Human Sciences (Psychology Department) proposes the establishment of the Psycho-social Unit at BAU. This unit becomes an inevitable requirement for the welfare of BAU students and staff. Such a step will be a pioneering contribution by BAU among Lebanese universities. The Unit offers counseling services and interventions, including but not limited to psychological, social and educational services for the students. These services are rendered in accordance with world-wide counseling, therapeutic psychological and ethical standards which regulate psycho-social services. The guiding principle for the Unit is nondiscrimination and equality. 

Vision:

The Unit aims to be a pioneer in Lebanon, that offers psychological and social services to the students at the university, while empowering them to achieve their inner adjustment in both psychological and social terms.

Mission:

The Unit seeks to effectively contribute to the self-development of the students who are in need of care and psycho-social support. The aim is to help them attain the optimal level of psycho-social adjustment with themselves and their surroundings, by providing counseling sessions and raising awareness.

Beirut Arab University’s concept of social responsibility towards the Lebanese society has manifested itself over the years on various educational, academic and social levels, through crises and unpleasant events, in particular the recent dramatic events of August 4th, 2020. The explosion of the Beirut Port has aggravated the suffering of the people in this country, in particular the psychological suffering that requires immediate psychological intervention to help the distressed overcome this crisis towards a gradual return to a normal life style. The Faculty of Human Sciences, as part of the diverse services rendered by Beirut Arab University to the Lebanese community in this crisis, proposes to offer psychological guidance and support, through the following:

  • To receive all those who suffer psychologically in reaction to the Beirut Port incident, as well as subsequent loss or grief, at the Psycho-social Unit, the Faculty of Human Sciences, Beirut Arab University (Hariri Building, Floor 10), as of 17th August 2020, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.

  • In collaboration with Radio Liban, a four-week live program will be held every Friday at 10:30 am to receive calls from the audience, to respond to their questions on all topics relevant to trauma and PTSD at various ages, and to offer advice and psychological first aid, as well as coping strategies that enhance resilience, and mechanisms to restore confidence and a positive outlook for Lebanon.

The Faculty of Medicine at Beirut Arab University in cooperation with the Lebanese Medical Students' International Committee (LeMSIC), organized a Mental Health Awareness Campaign. The Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) focused on the importance of prevention as a basis of a healthier life, emphasizing on the importance of this awareness in order to protect the population from the health consequence of these mental illnesses.

Four Issues were discussed that affect and tackle the four different mental health issues:

  • Depression and Suicide.

  • Stress and Anxiety.

  • Eating disorders.

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD).

These topics were chosen due to their importance as public health issues and to their frequency in the community. Infographics and educational posters were presented and distributed in order to elaborate more on the importance of these factors. During this Campaign, educational games took place in order to deliver the information but in a fun way to the students.

In collaboration with the Kuwait Trade Union Federation, and in coordination with the Kuwaiti Working Women Committee, Prof. Mayssah El Nayal gave a talk as part of the Webinar on “Arab Women and Psychological Stress: Techniques and Solutions”.

The webinar was conducted via Zoom on Tuesday, 13th October 2020, with the participation of around 80 attendees from 20 countries. The webinar focused on the nature of psychological stress and its impact upon healthy behavior, in particular in the light of the current situation.

With particular reference to Covid-19, the webinar tackled the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), highlighting strategies for coping and the most prominent therapies available. The webinar concluded with a number of questions from the participants relevant to psychological stress and the age of Corona.

was attended by Prof. Dr. Amr Galal El Adawi, President of BAU, Mr. Toufic Houri, President of the Waqf El Bir wal Ihsan Society, Mr. Issam Houri, Secretary General of Beirut Arab University, a large crowd of students, guests and interested people. The keynote speaker was Prof. Dr. Ahmed Okasha, professor of psychiatry at Ein Shams University, and the conference hosted a number of speakers from Lebanon, as well as Arab and foreign countries.

The two-day conference aimed at exploring aspects of health and illness, and offering recommendations that would enhance health in our societies. The discussions of experts, specialists and academics highlighted personality traits and their relationship with health and illness, as well as the impact of age on emotions and physical disorders, the relationship between health and illness, the positive aspects of life, mental health, as well as physical health.

The problems of psycho-therapy in the Arab world and the impact of disorders on the quality of life were also discussed. There was also a session on the role of media in building health awareness in the society, media and body-image perceptions, and the prevention of illness.

After the Lebanese National Anthem and the BAU Anthem were played, Dr. Laila Helmi opened the conference, highlighting that the Faculty of Arts is keen on establishing strong foundations for interdisciplinary, whether internally among its various disciplines, or externally with different other faculties.

Mental health disorders account for 7.4% of the burden of disease, and are now the leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. This paper explores the impact of the attributes of the built environment on mental health. It is difficult to measure mental health, so depression has been chosen to indicate it as the most common form of mental illness and its prevalence is projected to increase and it can be measured.

Depression was assessed in across sectional survey of residents on (n=445) which has been divided into 4 study areas. Each 2 areas have the same socio-economic characteristics and different in urban built environment attributes depending on Hamilton rating scale for depression as instrument to evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms. The attributes of the built environment in those neighborhoods are investigated using geographic information systems.

The results of this research may the anticipated specific guidelines for a healthy urban planning could be anticipated as it indicated to there is a relationship between the attributes of the urban built environment and the severity of the depressive symptoms also Emphasized the possibility of building psychologically healthy cities through urban design.

The Faculty of Arts hosted a lecture entitled “Authentic Happiness” on Thursday, 13th March 2014. The lecture tackled the various components and sources of happiness, as well as the means to attain it.

As part of the international conference on “The Positive Aspects of Life”, the Faculty of Arts hosted Prof. Leo Bormans, Ambassador of Happiness, for a talk on “World Happiness”. The workshop was held in Aly Rached Hall on 12th December 2013 and was attended by staff-members and students.

The Psychology Department at the Faculty of Arts organized an international conference on “The Positive Aspects of Life” on 10th & 11th December 2013. The conference hosted a large number of Lebanese and international scholars. Interdisciplinary in nature, the conference covered areas ranging from mass communication, commerce and sociology to health and medicine, in their various intersections with positive psychology.

The Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Beirut Arab University, organized its annual International Conference, entitled Personality and Health Psychology. Both inter- and multi-disciplinary, the conference brought together scholars from Kuwait, Malaysia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, India, Tunisia, Iran and Lebanon.

The conference opened with a lecture by keynote speaker, Prof. Basem El Shabb, Cardiac Surgeon and Member of the Parliament, followed by seven sessions which covered various themes, such as “Personality and Health”, “Health, Culture and Quality of Life”, “Health, Illness and Medical Models”, “Stress and Health”, “Counseling and Therapy”, “Media and Positive Psychology” and “Health Issues among Children, Women and the Elderly”. The conference issued a number of recommendations.

Dr. Mayssah El Nayal, Professor of Psychology and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, BAU, presented a workshop of entitled “Behavior Modification”, organized by the Women’s Humanitarian Organization in Beirut. The workshop was held on Saturday, 1st December 2012, and was attended by psychologists, sociologists and social workers.

The workshop focused on the concepts of behavior, motivation, and modification, as well as on the strategies and techniques of behavior modification. The trainees discussed a number of cases and methods of behavior modification of students in the classroom and in society.

BAU hosted a lecture given by the Secretary General of UNESCO in Beirut, Dr. Zahida Darwish, on “The Youth, UNESCO, and the Challenges of the Times”, upon an invitation extended by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, BAU, Prof. Mayssah El Nayal.

Hailing the significant educational role of BAU, Dr. Darwish then delivered her talk in which she highlighted the work conducted at UNESCO and the National Committee, the issue of youth, and the challenges of the times.

For the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women, the Human Rights Center at Beirut Arab University in collaboration with the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO (LNCU) and Internal Security Forces ISF organized a workshop on Friday 4th of December 2020 at the village of Khrab El Hayatt- Akkar within the framework of 16 days to raise awareness globally on the elimination of violence against women.

The workshop, was represented by Dr. Tala Zein from the Lebanese National commission for UNESCO, Ms. Salam Zahran from the Human Rights Center at Beirut Arab University, and Major Youssef El Dekweir from the Internal security forces .

It targeted 25 participants mainly females, aimed at increasing public awareness on violence against women; building capacity and understanding main definitions and concepts in the framework of Women’s Rights; engaging youth in promoting women’s rights and contribution to fight discrimination within their society. In addition participants were trained on entrepreneur skills in developing projects and business.

The Faculty of Law and Political Science at Beirut Arab University in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Gulf Countries held a webinar about “Harassment and Bullying in the laws of Arab countries between Reality and Expectations”.

Civil society organizations, a number of specialists in the field of law, researchers and interested people in the issue of harassment and bullying, and 470 participants were present to listen to the session.

The Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science Dr. Mohammad Hassan Kassem, MP Inaya Ezzeddine, the Regional Representative in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Gulf Countries Judge Dr. Hatim Ali, Judge Hazem Kassem from Arab Republic of Egypt, Judge at the Administrative Prosecution Authority in Egypt Dr. Khaled Abul Wafa talked in the webinar. From Lebanon Judge Fatima Majed, Assistant Public Prosecutor in the Sultanate of Oman Professor Maysar Al-Ruqishi, Head of Planning and Analysis Unit at the Ministry of Interior in Lebanon Major Tarek Hassaballah, Director of Operations at Shorufat Center for Globalization and Terrorism Studies in Jordan Dr. Khawla El Hassan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Tunis official Professor Taqwa Saedana, from Syria, Lawyer Rola Baghdadi.

The webinar was held under the supervision and management of the Associate Professor Dr. Tartil Turki Darwish and discussed the development of harassment and bullying laws in several Arab countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Jordan, in addition to discussing the development of harassment and bullying laws in France and Britain.

The webinar also discussed proposals for developing the Arab laws, especially adding the law of bullying to the Arab laws, and working on developing the law of harassment stipulated in some Arab countries' legislations. It also reviewed some positive points and discussed the gaps in some Arab laws in addition to working to find realistic solutions for these legal loopholes.

In collaboration with the Kuwait Trade Union Federation, and in coordination with the Kuwaiti Working Women Committee, Prof. Mayssah El Nayal gave a talk as part of the Webinar on “Arab Women and Psychological Stress: Techniques and Solutions”. The webinar was conducted via Zoom on Tuesday, 13th October 2020, with the participation of around 80 attendees from 20 countries.

The webinar focused on the nature of psychological stress and its impact upon healthy behavior, in particular in the light of the current situation. With particular reference to Covid-19, the webinar tackled the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), highlighting strategies for coping and the most prominent therapies available. The webinar concluded with a number of questions from the participants relevant to psychological stress and the age of Corona.

The Faculty of Medicine at Beirut Arab University will be organizing a lecture entitled " Depression and Women" on Wednesday March 22nd , 2017 at Ali Rached Hall- Beirut Campus from 2:00 P.M, till 4:00 P.M.