Saudi woman’s pioneering efforts to improve mental health in KSA

Saudi woman’s pioneering efforts to improve mental health in KSA

Dr. Haifa Al-Gahtani has been a pioneer for Saudi women psychologists in the Kingdom.. JEDDAH: A pioneering Saudi psychiatrist has taken on a new challenge in her professional efforts to improve people's lives.. In 2005, Dr. Haifa Al-Gahtani was the first Saudi woman to specialize in psychiatry through Saudi Aramco's Physician Development Program.. "We have many practitioners of cognitive behavioral therapy in Saudi Arabia, but the number of trainers is quite low," she said.. I'm working on developing more programs that suit the country's needs with regards to therapists - specifically a collaborative effort between Arabian Gulf University and the Kingdom to train qualified mental-health professionals in psychotherapy and, particularly, cognitive behavioral therapy.". “¢ Dr. Haifa Al-Gahtani has become the first Saudi woman to be accredited as a trainer/consultant in cognitive behavioral therapy by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy in Philadelphia.. “¢ While there is an abundance of medical doctors in Saudi Arabia, Al-Gahtani says the number of qualified therapists and mental-health professionals remains comparatively low.. "Part of behavioral therapy deals with oneself having the ability to make a difference in your own life, if you're guided and provided an opportunity to do things differently, because the only way to