Disasters, catastrophes, conflicts, violence, poverty, and crises place a massive emotional and social strain on people and communities due to the overwhelming instability and uncertainty they have experienced and the magnitude of their losses, including homes, communities, family members, and employment.
Trauma Healing Resource Center’s aims to provide mental health and psychosocial support in hard-to-reach areas in more than 24 countries within the Middle East region and the neighboring countries.
Humanitarian crises and tragedies can harm the individual’s well-being and increase the occurrence of mental health illnesses such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse, all of which can reduce survivors' resilience and their ability to care for themselves and their families. Hence, the mental health crisis is exacerbated in the MENA region and the neighbouring countries by the strong social and cultural stigmas against mental illness, which remains a taboo topic in the region. Sadly, this stigma prevents victims from seeking assistance and forces them to suffer in silence. Also, mental health facilities, resources, and education are inadequate in the MENA area and neighboring countries.
It is now widely accepted that adults' and children's mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is essential in ensuring their overall well-being in times of crisis. A person who is both mentally and emotionally well is better able to deal with the challenges of daily life and make positive contributions to his or her family and community. For this reason, MHPSS is receiving increasing attention in THRC's programs, as it has a significant role in alleviating poverty, fostering stability, addressing sexual and gender-based violence, and recovering from natural disasters. We achieve this by enhancing the capacity of local health systems through offering health services, training, education, advocacy, and raising awareness.
The Trauma Healing Resource Center's mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services include any help that promotes the mental health and psychological well-being of the vulnerable people whose humanitarian crises have impacted them. Our projects are based on the current Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings, which are based on four increasing levels of need: starting with basic services, increasing community and family support, focusing on non-specialized support, and finally providing specialised mental health care services.