ICMC Protection Center Celebrates World Mental Health Day Hosting Activities for Mental Well-Being

ICMC Protection Center Celebrates World Mental Health Day Hosting Activities for Mental Well-Being
The activities held at the Protection Center ended with each woman and child leaving their colorful handprints on a panel on the wall, to symbolically mark their commitment to mental self-care. Photo: ICMC/ M. Contino

At the beginning of October, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, ICMC welcomed Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians in its Protection Center in Mafraq, Jordan, to gain a better understanding of the multiple manifestations of mental health as well as dismantle stigma and discrimination.

To mark this special event, several educational and recreational activities were organized in the Protection Center, a safe space for women and children, to engage ICMC beneficiaries as well as staff and volunteers in discussions around mental distress or illness.

The many activities that took place at the Protection Center included one-on-one counselling and psychosocial support in the form of group discussions, aimed to support the mental well-being of those dealing with the consequences of deadly conflicts and exposure to traumatic hardships. More than 120 women participated in the focus group discussions that sought to spread the understanding that anyone experiences a certain degree of mental distress at some point in their lives. “I am surprised and very satisfied that some of them have publicly acknowledged that they are seeing a therapist. It’s a great example for the other women that it is something absolutely normal such as going to any other specialized doctor,” the counselor leading the sessions commented.

Mother and child leaving their handprints at the Protection Center.

Several women reported not having enough opportunities to reflect on pressing issues impacting their wellbeing, such as house-keeping duties, child care, financial hardships, and concerns for family members still under threat back home. The counselor invited the participants to reflect on the importance of positive thinking, and how positive perspectives and attitudes can foster positive change in behaviors in spite of daily difficulties. “Until now, I was only focused on my family problems, I could only see the glass half empty without seeing the positive in my life. Thanks to God, I am still autonomous, despite some health problems” said one beneficiary at the end of the session.

More than 50 women enrolled in ICMC’s Arabic literacy classes also took part in special sessions on mental well-being. An initial brainstorming gave these women the opportunity to talk about the main causes of distress in their lives. Once more, family duties, financial hardships, and pressures of living as ‘guests’ in a host country were mentioned as heavy burdens and sources of stress. “Anger, fears, frustration and dissatisfaction – it’s not healthy to suppress these emotions and keep them bottled up. Suppressed anger can have very negative consequences for mental health,” explained the counsellor.

In the Protection Center’s Child-Friendly Space, more than 160 children aged 3 to 13 years old also celebrated World Mental Health Day with play and games. To inform on healthy eating and personal hygiene practices, children were shown a cartoon addressing the importance of healthy practices and habits in their daily life. Since most of them are not enrolled in school and their parents are overburdened with their own struggles as refugees adjusting to life in a host country, it was particularly important to discuss with children about the physical and emotional transitions they will experience as they grow up.

As a sign of strong cooperation with local community-based organizations, ICMC also invited about 20 men and boys from local organization “Deir al Kahf”, in the outskirts of Mafraq, to attend an awareness-raising session. The participants had the opportunity to talk about the difficulties faced by this small community closer to the Syrian border, and in particular the need for men in distress to have safe spaces to discuss issues. “I can assure you that it is not easy… Sometimes I think that this crisis is just too much to bear, and the situation is getting unsustainable” an elderly man admitted.

The activities ended on a positive note with each woman and child leaving their colorful handprints on a panel on the wall, to symbolically mark their commitment to mental self-care.

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