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