We started the first annual national school counseling symposium series in 2019. We came up with the idea while brainstorming on how to improve the professional learning opportunities in the mental health field for counselors and educators in Qatar.
We reached 95 participants in 2019 and 2020. For the first time, the mental health professionals who worked with children and young people came together to talk about mental health in schools in Qatar. The new counsellors like me had the chance to learn the child protection law, available support services, and social dynamics of the mental health of students in Qatar.
The themes were “Stress Across the Ages” in 2019 and “Anxiety and School-Based Resiliency” in 2020. A day-long event consisted of panels and case studies. Initiating the first school counselling symposium in Qatar created a space for educators and mental health professionals to meet and brainstorm how to improve the support mechanisms in schools in Qatar.
