Dear friends and colleagues,
On behalf of the College, please know our thoughts are with you and your families during this profoundly challenging period in the Middle East. We recognise the immense strain that ongoing violence and uncertainty places on individuals, families, and communities, as well as on the professionals striving to support them.
We have reached out to our partners, diaspora groups and members in the region, and understand these events will have also had an impact on all our members across the globe. Please remember that you are not alone, and it is entirely understandable if current events are weighing on you.
At times like these it is vital that support is provided to those who need it.
The College has a hub of emergency mental health resources available, including open-access materials on Coping after a traumatic event in Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, Kurdish and English. We also have an eLearning module on Complex humanitarian emergencies and mental health and psychosocial response.
We are exploring opportunities to offer psychological first aid training to colleagues supporting affected individuals and communities. These resources are grounded in established international guidance and reflect experience from previous humanitarian settings.
We would like to remind all of you of our Psychiatrists' Support Service (PSS) which provides free, rapid, high-quality peer support by telephone to psychiatrists of all grades.
The College is here to support mental health professionals and our partners in the affected areas, alongside our members, during this difficult time.
Please take care of yourselves and each other.
Your President,
Dr Lade Smith CBE
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych
- Out-of-hours contact number: 07860 755896