URI MENA 8th Cultural Café session- 30 May 2020 (URI MENA’s weekly Zoom community meeting)
The session was on “How to deal with depression in crisis time,” By Dr. Salma Habib
The session, which was organized in cooperation with AMLN (American Mideast Leadership Network – New York), intended to improve understanding of the psychological impact of COVID-19 on wellbeing and mental health. It gave a deeper understanding of anxiety as a reaction to various aspects of our current life. It provided helpful strategies and advice on how to deal with the anxiety and uncertainty of COVID-19, cope with its challenges, and prepare for life after coronavirus.
We ended the session by asking each participant to share one “Take-away” from the session. Responses include:
• Understanding the cycle of depression and ways to get out of it
• To spend quarantine days doing something useful, such as “farming in my backyard”
• Learn helpful strategies on how to deal with the depression
• How to deal with depression and the difference between acceptance and approval….We have to accept many things even if we don’t entirely approve of them
• Develop self confidence, self esteem and resilience
• Maintain hope & faith
• Spirituality matters
• Happiness is contagious….make the people around you happy and keep happy people around you
• Use the treatment toolkit to deal with depression
The session recording:
- The link for Gallery View :https://youtu.be/QB-qxwdGKG0
- The link for Speaker View: https://youtu.be/5oHNeG3lTgY
About Dr. Salma Habib
– Doctorate Degree in Counseling Psychology, Seton Hall University – New Jersey
– Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, Montclair State University – New Jersey
– Completed internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the US Department of Veterans Affairs of New Jersey where she received “Caregiver of the Month” award
– A licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York, providing psychotherapy for clients with mood and/or personality disorders. She also offers individual, family and group psychotherapy focused on interpersonal stressors, relationship dynamics, substance use disorders, mindfulness, and adjustment disorders including post traumatic stress disorder, and grief and loss
– Administers personality, vocational and cognitive (intelligence) assessments that may shed light on underlying personality dynamics and/or current level of functioning
– Founder of Wellbeing Psychology LLC, a company that provides psychological evaluation, consulting, education and psychotherapy
