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About Us

​Psychology spa is the first specialized center in Psychoeducation in Palestine since 2016. Psychology spa is a place where groups meet to learn, discuss, share, and seek ways to gain psychological knowledge. 


We aspire to include psycho-education in the Palestinian school's curriculum. Our population still carries a stigma about mental health. It has not yet reached the stage of acknowledging psychological needs to enable people to seek help and psychological counseling. 

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Therefore, there is a need to educate people and provide them with the required skills to help people help themselves with a better understanding of their psychological status and thus enhance their quality of life. 

Our Team

Our Story

Mental illness is considered one of the largest and least acknowledged health problems in Palestine.

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For decades the West Bank has suffered from political, social, and economic strife. Palestinians have been exposed to a series of traumatic events, such as imprisonment, torture, humiliation, human rights violations, house demolitions, land confiscation, restriction of movement, unemployment, and under-employment. As a result, many people suffer from various emotional and psychological traumas. 

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Dealing with emotional and psychological needs is equally significant to physical survival needs. People are aware of the importance of mental and psychological health as part of the total health care picture, yet seeking counseling remains difficult to accept due to the social stigma. 

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Mental health service providers in Palestine usually offer support, rehabilitation, and counseling services for people dealing with psychological problems. Mainly, these organizations focus on counseling and treating the disorders rather than arming people with the required knowledge to realize the importance of psychological needs to seek treatment. In most cases, these organizations are the ones who approach people to offer help. In many other cases, people ignore their psychological distress for an extended period and only seek help when they reach advanced disorder stages. 
 

Getting to a stage where dealing with the psychological need is a natural and essential need requires raising awareness of the importance of mental health in the first place. However, little attention is given to raising awareness of psychology and changing attitudes towards mental health. Therefore, Psychology Spa works to raise awareness of mental health, fight social stigma, and achieve social transformation regarding mental health.

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The literary salon inspires our Work in the 18th century, where intellectuals gathered to debate and encouraged each other. It was a friendly, comfortable place where scholars had to study a particular literature work, either as a single intensive session or more extended weekly meetings. This experience was described as “a spa for the mind.” Hence, Psychology Spa is a meeting place where individuals and groups learn about psychology, mental health, share knowledge, and might discuss issues that are harder to bring up in casual conversation.

Our Vision

​At Psychology Spa, we work together with marginalized groups, women, and youth to enrich their knowledge about mental health and provide them with life skills through Psychoeducational sessions.

This works as a preventive method to support people’s mental health. Our vision is to raise awareness about mental health, fight mental health-related social stigma and make social transformation regarding mental health in Palestine.

Our Mission

​Psychology Spa adopts a strategy of sustainably empowering marginalized groups, women, and youth to enjoy a better quality of life. We achieve this through our psycho-educational discussion panels in a stigma-free place where there is no fear of being labeled as mentally sick. This is a group interactive learning experience where participants discuss, share and learn, as we believe that learning is an effective tool in leading any community transformation.
 

In this way, participants gain knowledge and skills that have a therapeutic value and reflect positively on their perspective about mental health. Our Palestinian community: including marginalized groups, women, and youth can enjoy better mental and physical health.

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Jumana Kaplanian
Psychologist & Mental Health Trainer

Jumana Kaplanian is a psychologist and mental health trainer based in Bethlehem, Palestine. She is the founder of Psychology Spa, a pioneering psycho-educational center established in 2016 that provides stigma-free mental health support, psychoeducation, and preventive care. Jumana specializes in evidence-based therapeutic approaches including CBT, DBT, ACT, and EMDR, tailoring her work to the unique cultural and social realities of Palestinian society.

 

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Psychology from Bethlehem University (2012) and an MSc in Psychology from Oxford Brookes University (2014). Alongside her clinical practice, Jumana has worked extensively with women, youth, and marginalized communities affected by conflict and violence. Since 2019, she has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Psychologists and Social Workers in Bethlehem.

 

Deeply passionate about education and community transformation, Jumana views mental health awareness as a form of empowerment. Through her therapeutic work, teaching, and social activism, she is dedicated to making professional psychological care accessible and to fostering resilience, healing, and hope in Palestinian communities.

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Watch our TEDx talk 
Watch our Mental Health Awareness Podcast Nudba 

Elias is a freelance photographer and art exhibitor, specialized in Socio-Arts focused photography based out of Bethlehem, Palestine. Elias is a Co-founder of Psychology Spa.

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Elias is a candidate for a Master’s degree in Contemporary Art at Dar Al Kalima University in Bethlehem and he earned a Professional Diploma in “Management and Preservation of Artistic Cultural Heritage in the Near East”, Universita degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale ‘Amedeo Avogadro’- Vercelli/ Italy (2011). He forged a skillful lens for socio-cultural interpretation by securing a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Psychology from Bethlehem University (2006).

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During his time at the University, Elias has excellent networking, communications, and public speaking experiences. He Worked as a Public Relation, Communications, Development and student director at Bethlehem University (June 2009- September 2010), and also as a Public Relations, Manger of the Austrian association “ Cultural Bridges with the Holy Land”, Rock to Bethlehem International Music Festival (June 2008-June 2012). 

By 2009, during a series of International presentations, Elias began to find his signature artistic voice when he realized the language of images and sight was more effective than the limitations of speech. During the last few years, his photos have made their way to local and international exhibitions, magazines, websites, and books. Working with a number of organizations, NGOs, ministries, and consulates, he was provided with a platform where he was fortunate to show Palestine to the world as he sees it.

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Elias has the responsibility of an ambassador, manifesting the beauty and richness of his homeland and its wonderful people, as well as showing the burdens and harsh reality that Palestinians go through in their daily life. Capturing moments and sharing them is his passion, it is the fuel that keeps him motivated, knowing that his photos speak louder than his words.

Elias Halabi
PR & Communication Officer

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Samar Hazboun
Yoga Therapist

Samar Hazboun is a dedicated alternative therapist who integrates holistic practices to support both physical and mental well-being. Her journey began after volunteering with the Red Crescent in refugee camps in Cyprus, where she assisted a psychologist and translated for unaccompanied refugee minors. This formative experience ignited her passion for therapy and healing.

She pursued diverse therapeutic trainings, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), art therapy, bibliotherapy, and therapeutic techniques using visual mediums at Tel Aviv University. Samar also holds a Master’s degree in Photojournalism from the University of Westminster, which deepened her understanding of visual storytelling and its healing potential.

In Greece, Samar trained as a certified Yoga Therapist, specializing in medical and mental health applications, and later completed a breathwork for trauma apprenticeship under therapist Alicia Barmon. Her background also includes Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training, equipping her with additional tools for holistic healing.

Today, Samar runs a healing space in Bethlehem, where she blends mind-body practices to address trauma, stress, and emotional challenges. Her therapeutic approach is grounded in the belief that healing occurs when the body and mind are treated as one.

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Jasem Shoman 
Art Therapist 

Jasem Shuman is a Palestinian visual artist, sculptor, and poet, born in 1983 in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Al-Quds University in 2013 and holds a Master’s degree in Contemporary Visual Arts from Dar Al-Kalima University, Bethlehem (2022–2025).

His works explore his personal experience and narrative, reflecting on interactions with life, the self, society, the other, love, and political upheavals. They delve into the role of language and speech in relationships and communication, his connection to the land, the psychology of movement within it, fatherhood, and freedom—both in its universal and contextualized meanings. Shuman’s artistic practice is distinguished by his diverse use of expressive mediums, including painting, sculpture, poetry, and artistic direction of short films, selecting the medium that best serves the subject matter.
 

His works have been exhibited in several local and regional group exhibitions in Ramallah, Tunis, Riyadh, and Beirut, as well as in national museums and international exhibitions in France, Germany, Romania, Spain, Belgium, and at the Aurora Biennale in Sweden. His monumental public sculptures have been acquired and permanently installed in several public squares both locally in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate and internationally in Spain and Romania.
 

Shuman has worked as a lecturer in fine arts at local universities, including Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie and the Arab American University. Since 2022, he has also been a guest lecturer at the OSCE Academy in Kyrgyzstan and Marburg University in Germany.
 

In addition to his artistic practice, Shuman is a specialist in psychosocial support through the arts, having implemented numerous projects since 2008 with local institutions across the West Bank and Gaza, as well as international organizations in Lebanon and Sweden. He has conducted multiple Training of Trainers (ToT) programs in this field and has recently completed his first book on using art with children with special needs. Moreover, he has worked for several years as an art director for a range of short films and feature films.

George Abu Zelof
Accountant

George is an accountant and holds a Bachelor of Accounting and Master’s degree in Marketing Management. His work experience is mainly in Strategic Finance, Financial Analysis & Planning, and Procurement Development.


George had actively exposed himself to a variety of working environments. This includes local and international agencies, as well as profit and non-profit organizations. 


From both an administrative and financial side, George has made a conscious attempt to understand the vocation from all perspectives and has not only had to practice admin and finance work for an international organizations’ internal operations but has also had tasks that involve monitoring and assessing local partners financial performance. In some cases, this has led to situations of mentorship and solution-oriented problem-solving.


George is comfortable working with people and appreciates the exposure to different functions within an institution. He believes that his previous experience has also added to the dimensions of understanding of funding development projects.

Farah El-Alem
Data Analyst& Researcher

Farah is a highly self-motivated individual, working towards making a positive impact on the world we live in. Farah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Brighton, London. She is also pursuing an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the American Arab University of Palestine, jointly with the University of Pennsylvania, with an expected graduation date of 2022.


Farah has been working in data analysis and research for the past 5 years, looking into measuring and assessing consumer behavior, customer satisfaction, as well as conducting multiple monitoring and evaluation for social impact projects in Palestine. Currently, Farah is working as a consultant, conducting research and assessments for the private sector, non-governmental sector, as well as some governmental related consultancies.


In the long run, Farah aims to extend her knowledge on social behavior and develop working models that combine employability, psychology, social impact, and social responsibility, in hopes to improve the general quality of life for Palestinians and others.

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Mirna Sakhleh is a multi-disciplinary theater practitioner and drama trainer from Bethlehem. She graduated in 2010 with a BA in Drama from Exeter University, UK, and got a professional diploma in Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship from the Swedish Institute’s YLVP program in 2018. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Israeli Studies at Birzeit University.

Since 2011, Mirna has worked intensively in the field of drama and theater with different artistic and cultural organizations, on full time basis and freelance contracting. She collaborated with Al-Harah Theater, Inad Theater, John Paul 2, Psychology Spa, YMCA, World Vision, Holy Land Trust, Vento Di Terra, the Qattan Foundation, and Ramallah Municipality, Care International, Burj Alluqluq and others.  She also lectured at Dar Al-Kalima University, teaching “Drama in Education.”

Over the past 15 years, Mirna has trained thousands of beneficiaries—children, youth, and women—across the West Bank, including schools in cities, villages, refugee camps, and Bedouin communities such as Khan al-Ahmar, Wadi Abu Hindi, and Masafer Yatta.
Her work integrates theater and psychosocial support, using drama as a powerful tool for empowerment, resilience, and creative expression. 

Mirna Sakhleh
Drama therapist 

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Phoebe is a Social Worker and Mental Health Advocate with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and a minor in Psychology from Bethlehem University. She works with women, youth, children, and individuals with mental disabilities through group-based psychosocial support, using expressive arts to foster healing, self-expression, and collective resilience.

Her work is grounded in a trauma-informed approach, with a particular focus on the effects of trauma and intergenerational trauma on the body, mind, and community. She is especially interested in how these dynamics show up in the daily lives of Palestinians, and how creative, process-oriented practices can support emotional well-being in the face of systemic and historical challenges.

Phoebe is passionate about mental health advocacy, especially in challenging stigma and promoting culturally responsive, accessible, and inclusive mental health practices. Through group facilitation, she creates spaces where participants can explore their experiences, build inner resources, and connect with one another through shared narratives and creativity.

Phoebe Awad
Psychosocial Worker | Mental Health Advocate | Group Facilitator | Program Coordinator

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