Mental Health
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The counseling service aims to create a supportive environment that welcomes and supports every student, regardless of their individual needs and circumstances. We understand that each student's journey is unique and strive to listen to their concerns with respect, as effective emotional and psychological support is crucial for their well-being and academic success.
In this section, you will find information about the counseling service, how to access mental health services in Qatar, useful resources on important topics, and much more.
Counseling
Being a student can be exciting and filled with aspirations, but it can also bring stress and challenges.
Seeking advice and support from someone with experience in coping with stress can be helpful. HBKU offers a dedicated counseling service where students can talk about any problem they encounter at university, including issues related to studying, personal life, or any matters related to their life at university.
Seeking counseling early can be beneficial in preventing issues from escalating.
It does not mean you cannot solve your problems; rather, it shows that you are taking responsibility for your well-being.
Our counseling service is free and confidential unless you or someone else is at risk. Most counseling is brief, but there is no fixed limit, and you can return whenever necessary.
HBKU provides both individual and group counseling as needed, additionally, we organize seminars and workshops for both students and staff.
Resources on common topics will be provided on this page which gets updated regularly.
Please note that the counseling service is not an emergency service. In case of an emergency, please contact the relevant emergency services.
To book an appointment for counseling, you only need to send us an email to counseling.services@hbku.edu.qa, and we will try our best to schedule an appointment within a week.
Urgent appointments can be provided within 24 hours. We wish you every success in your academic journey.
Counselor
Dr. Rudwan Abdul Al is a psychiatrist with more than 23 years of experience in mental health. Throughout his career, he has worked with students from various universities in Qatar.
Before joining HBKU, Dr Abdul-Al worked at Al Ahli Hospital for nearly 10 years. Before his time in Qatar, Dr Abdul Al worked in Cambridge and Sheffield in the UK as a Consultant Psychiatrist in the National Health Service, diagnosing, and treating psychiatric conditions in various settings and patient groups.
Apart from his role as a psychiatrist, Dr. Abdul-Al held numerous other positions in the field of mental health. He served on the board of governors of mental health organizations, worked as an Associate Medical Director, led training programs for psychiatrists, acted as an examiner for medical students, and was responsible for research and innovation at mental health organizations.
Dr. Rudwan Abdul Al
Staff in-charge
Dr. Abdul-Al’s approach to providing help and support is based on three principles he applies in his practice:
Listen :
you should have the ability, time, and interest to listen to the person you want to help.
Accept :
you should accept what the other person is telling you as real experiences that he or she is going through, regardless of how much you may agree or disagree with it, or believe in it.
Respect :
having listened and accepted what the other person has told you, you should keep full respect for them as a human being and not make judgments about them as a person.
He has joined HBKU because many mental health issues start in adolescence and young adulthood. Addressing those issues at the university level would have a major impact on the mental well-being of students and the general community.
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