Fazilah Musammem
Arvin
Psychiatrist
Kabul,
Afghanistan
Highest Degree Held: M.D.
Types of Clients: Adults
Languages spoken: English
ACT/CBS Background and Training: As a psychiatrist by profession, I started working as a psychosocial counsellor at the INGO Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in July 2022. At this point in my career, I was introduced to ACT, started studying books, and followed professionals in this field online. Moving forward, I have not only received trainings on ACT and RFT myself but also facilitated these trainings for other psychologists in Afghanistan.
In February 2023, in response to the Taliban imposing further restrictions on women, I led a psychosocial support project while working as a project officer at SFCG. I technically trained and supervised a team of 15 local mental health professionals from five provinces. After the project ended, I maintained links with my team outside the formal framework. I broadened this team into a larger group known as Arvin. Based on my vision of contemporary mental health education, I linked Arvin with a group of psychologists from Iran named Persian RFT in April 2024. This cooperation led to mental health specialists from Iran conducting free online training sessions for our team in Afghanistan, specifically focused on ACT and RFT. These included 27 hours of training on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and 20 hours of training on the clinical application of Relational Frame Theory (RFT). As a result, our team, Arvin, has now grown to 150 psychologists, with more than 50% being women, across Afghanistan.
Additionally, I have also built links with other communities of mental health professionals devoted to CBS outside of my country. I am, for instance, supporting Persian-speaking psychologists by providing simultaneous translation of some online events, such as Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). I have also translated some scientific articles, such as “An Introduction to Relations Frame Theory,” for my community’s use. In return, this collaboration is helping me with my professional growth in CBS, such as building relationships with professionals in this field internationally while expanding my network.
In conclusion, from my initial introduction to CBS and my current role in facilitating events and building international partnerships for promoting CBS, I believe I have taken the first steps of disseminating CBS in my country. This membership will enable me to move forward.
In February 2023, in response to the Taliban imposing further restrictions on women, I led a psychosocial support project while working as a project officer at SFCG. I technically trained and supervised a team of 15 local mental health professionals from five provinces. After the project ended, I maintained links with my team outside the formal framework. I broadened this team into a larger group known as Arvin. Based on my vision of contemporary mental health education, I linked Arvin with a group of psychologists from Iran named Persian RFT in April 2024. This cooperation led to mental health specialists from Iran conducting free online training sessions for our team in Afghanistan, specifically focused on ACT and RFT. These included 27 hours of training on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and 20 hours of training on the clinical application of Relational Frame Theory (RFT). As a result, our team, Arvin, has now grown to 150 psychologists, with more than 50% being women, across Afghanistan.
Additionally, I have also built links with other communities of mental health professionals devoted to CBS outside of my country. I am, for instance, supporting Persian-speaking psychologists by providing simultaneous translation of some online events, such as Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). I have also translated some scientific articles, such as “An Introduction to Relations Frame Theory,” for my community’s use. In return, this collaboration is helping me with my professional growth in CBS, such as building relationships with professionals in this field internationally while expanding my network.
In conclusion, from my initial introduction to CBS and my current role in facilitating events and building international partnerships for promoting CBS, I believe I have taken the first steps of disseminating CBS in my country. This membership will enable me to move forward.