The Psycho-Social Counseling Program is considered one of the main service lines available for target groups of women. The program works on enhancing the concept of psycho-social well-being within the Palestinian community through providing a series of comprehensive services alongside raising the community’s awareness of the importance of psycho-social well-being for women and girls. The program works on combating violence against women through providing counseling and other services to women who have been victims of domestic or other forms of violence. In addition, the program seeks to create a public opinion that rejects violence against women through lobbying and advocacy campaigns and handling societal messages that legislate discrimination against women. Policy makers are lobbied to amend the operating laws, making them capable of protecting women a against all forms of abuse and violence. The program conducts activities in order to develop women’s capacity to combat violence against them.
Alongside the activities that target women directly, the program also works on developing the qualifications of the counselors themselves to improve the high quality of services available for women. It works on developing the qualifications and skills of newly-graduated counselors in order to contribute to improving the quality of the counseling services available within the Palestinian community, in coordination with Palestinian colleges and universities. It pays special attention to women in the Jordan Valley, the Gaza strip and Yatta. The program is considered the first in the Palestinian feminist mass movement to provide counseling service in 1992.
Program’s Scopes of Work:
1- Psychological Consultation
2- Individual Counseling
3- Toll-Free Line for Counseling
4- Women’s Support Groups
5- Children’s Support Groups
6- Speech Therapy: As part of the counseling services in Gaza Strip, the program provides children with speech therapy intervention. It targets those who suffer from speech difficulties due to being exposed and subject to trauma or other difficult experiences in their life.
7- Family Counseling: Whenever there is a need to work with the surrounding environment (usually the family) in a specific case , the counselors work with the family as a whole, providing a family counseling service. .
8- Community Awareness Sessions: The program provides women with community awareness sessions through a series of lectures and workshops tackling Psycho-Social counseling issues.
9- Professional Supervision: As part of the development and support of the counselors , the program provides professional supervision. It provides more theoretical knowledge and allows for discussion and exchange of experience during the debate on study cases.