Search DubaiPRNetwork.com

Dubai and UAE

Tuesday, July 23, 2019/ Editor

Home >> Healthcare and Fitness

The LightHouse Arabia Trains the First Teen Mental Health First Aiders in the Region

Home >> Healthcare and Fitness

** The Region’s Only Teen Mental Health First Aid Training is Launched by  The LightHouse Arabia for Teenagers to be ‘First-Responders’ for Peers ** 


Dubai, United Arab Emirates -  23 July  2019:  Half of all mental health disorders like depression or anxiety start by age 14, but most cases remain undetected and go untreated for approximately eight to ten years. This long and dangerous delay is usually due to a combination of lack of awareness of what mental health problems are, not knowing how to respond, and the stigma surrounding mental health.

Building on their mission to help improve mental health across the Middle East, The LightHouse Arabia has created a platform for intervention to happen earlier, through the launch of Teen-to-Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training.

The equivalent of physical first aid but for mental health, the tMHFA training course gives teenagers the skills they need to recognize and respond to mental health problems and crises in their friends, and to get the help of a responsible adult quickly. Young people will often turn to each other when stressed or upset, and try to help each other, taking too much on. This course teaches teens to support their peers as ‘first responders’, while arming them with the knowledge and awareness of not needing to take on these problems alone. The LightHouse Arabia is the only accredited provider of Mental Health First Aid programs in the UAE. 

“It is critical that teens be trained in MHFA because they are the first people that come in contact with their struggling peers”, says Dr. Saliha Afridi, Clinical Psychologist and Managing Director at The LightHouse Arabia. She adds, “However, because they lack the skills to appropriately handle the distressing situation when it arises, they end up feeling very overwhelmed and stressed. The tMHFA course teaches teens to detect and deal with mental health problems as they arise in peers.”
 
The LightHouse Arabia was founded in 2011 by clinical psychologists Dr. Saliha Afridi and Dr. Tara Wyne, whose shared mission and vision is to make the region happier and healthier. With an international team of over 30 licensed psychologists and psychiatrists, The LightHouse is a community mental health and wellness center providing quality care to children, adults, couples and families. The LightHouse also work with corporations, schools, hospitals and other institutions to promote mental wellness through education and training programs.  The center is also home to the Raymee Grief Center, a free-of-charge grief support service – the first of its kind in the region.  
 
The tMHFA training course is the third prong in The LightHouse Arabia’s existing accredited Mental Health First Aid training program, which continues to grow in popularity and numbers of certified Mental Health First Aiders across the UAE. Until now, trainings have been available for Adults supporting Adults, and Adults supporting Adolescents. The Teen training will support a younger but crucial audience with the training having a tailored focus on two age groups: ages 13 – 15 years and ages 16 – 18 years. 
 
Key learnings in the tMHFA training will focus on teens learning how to respond to a friend who may be experiencing depression, bullying, a panic attack, or having suicidal thoughts using the Mental Health First Aid action plan. A teen Mental Health First Aider does NOT learn how to counsel or diagnose. The training is led by licensed clinicians at the LightHouse Arabia who share the belief that no one should suffer in silence. 
 
The 4-hour pilot training for tMHFA will be taking place on Friday, June 14th at The LightHouse Arabia from 11am until 3pm at their Center for Wellbeing located at 821 Al Wasl Road, Al Safa 2, Dubai.

 

Share


Previous in Healthcare and Fitness

Next in Healthcare and Fitness


Home >> Healthcare and Fitness Section

Latest Press Release

Emirates expands its Premium Economy offering on services to Male and Colombo

du launches Experience X internship program to empower UAE national youth

Experience Art, Adventure, and Heritage at Dubai Culture's Summer Camps 2025

DAFZ Announces Opening of Fakeeh Health's First Smart Clinic in Dubai

Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation Launches Summer Camp 2025 for Gifted Students under the Them ...

Al Masaood Automobiles Offers Exclusive First Look at 2026 Nissan Patrol NISMO Following World Premi ...

Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, Pakistan's Minister of Finance discuss ways to enhance cooperation in ...

UAE Circular Economy Council discusses policies to accelerate shift to circular models and expand bi ...

Big Wins Continue with PrivilegePLUS at Mercato & Town Centre Jumeirah!

Dubai Customs hosts Sheikh Mansour bin Ibrahim Al-Mualla to discuss ways of cooperation and strength ...

Christophe Robin's Summer Travel Essentials for Good Hair Days

Dubai Municipality and Parkin sign agreement to enhance the efficiency of public parking infrastruct ...

Dubai Airports launches DXB Greet & Go: a smart, QR code-based pickup service at Terminal 3

Dubai Sports World Returns for Action-Packed August Edition

The World Between Lines and Symbols: An Interactive Art Workshop at Mohammed Bin Rashid Library

Malls Across Dubai Come Alive This DSS With Non-Stop Entertainment, Unbeatable Prizes, and Endless S ...

Emirates A350 debuts in Dammam

Emirates Post collaborates with Dream Dubai to launch AED100,000 prize campaign to celebrate UAE's Y ...

HBMSU Hosts Strategic Mid-Year Gathering Reinforcing Institutional Alignment and Performance Account ...

ROSHN Group Participates at INNOPROM 2025, Russia's Largest Industrial Trade Fair, to Promote Collab ...