Educational Unit

The educational unit focuses on capacity building of mental health practitioners and the general public, reducing the number of misdiagnosed cases, and developing the basis for a Palestinian Clinical Psychology certification. On a bi-monthly basis, the GTC provides lectures to the public which are attended by hundreds of people annually providing a base for further learning about contemporary issues and mental health in the Palestinian context.

The GTC developed a multidisciplinary traineeship program to build the capacity of psychologists in Palestine. As a result of the complex political situation in Palestine and the high demand for mental health professionals, standards for practicing psychology are low and most mental health professionals do not have hands-on experience. The Traineeship program is designed to support psychologists in further internalizing and consolidating their knowledge, connecting it with real-world practice through training, mentorship, and supervision.

The GTC coordinates with the public, private social, and educational institutions such as the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Education, private schools, and community-based organizations CBOs to develop different social, psychological, and educational aspects of mental health in Palestine.

Professionals One of the key concerns is the development of a competent mental health workforce. The Guidance and Training Center has developed several ongoing projects that focuses on capacity building in Palestine. Basic training for professionals includes four modules: Working in schools, Competencies for psychotherapy, Assessment, Research, Caregivers. The Guidance and Training Center developed a program aiming at building the capacity of caregivers in Palestine. GTC work focused on caregivers in orphanages, through trainings knowledge is provided about children development from 0 - 15 years of age building their capacity in identifying behavioral issues, emotional and psychological needs and how to communicate, educate and build relationships with children that can support their development.

Parents A training developed focused on parenting and how to support children’s development by utilizing communication and negotiation skills. The Guidance and Training Center trained groups of trainers to provide this training in several districts throughout Palestine.

Teachers The Guidance and Training Center offers training courses and supervision for school counselors and teachers to understand the connection between the learning process, the emotional and psychological state of children. The aim is to increase the knowledge of teachers and their ability to perform, developing the teacher’s identity as a facilitator of the social relationship between students, to develop student’s resilience and belonging to school.

Educational Unit

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