Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Launches First Introductory Session on WHO Guide “Doing What Matters in Times of Stress”

As part of its ongoing efforts to promote mental health and expand the scope of evidence-based interventions, GCMHP launched, on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, its first introductory session on the World Health Organization (WHO) guide , “Doing What Matters in Times of Stress – DWM”, at GCMHP’s Community Centre in Deir Al-Balah, with the participation of representatives from a number of local and international organizations.

The session was delivered by Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei - General Director of GCMHP, who presented the guide developed by WHO, along with its accompanying mobile application, developed in collaboration with the University of Verona, explaining its objectives, components, and ways to benefit from its practical tools and skills in dealing with psychological stress and daily challenges.

The guide is based on a set of practical psychological skills that help individuals deal effectively with difficult emotions and thoughts, reduce the impact of negative thoughts, enhance awareness of the present moment, and direct behavior toward activities and goals that hold value and meaning in a person’s life. These skills contribute to strengthening psychological resilience and improving the ability to cope with stressful circumstances.

In this context, GCMHP is working on assessing the suitability and effectiveness of the guide in the Palestinian context, and the possibility of employing and adopting it as a practical tool for psychological support, in a way that responds to the needs of individuals and communities affected by prolonged stress and crises, and contributes to enhancing their capacities for coping, adaptation, and resilience.

The introductory session served as a starting point for a series of upcoming meetings and training sessions, which will allow participants to delve deeper into the guide’s skills and practice applying them, in preparation for benefiting from them at both personal and professional levels. The participants’ interventions and engagement reflected a clear interest in learning about these tools and exploring opportunities to employ them in their work and communities.

This work comes as an extension of GCMHP’s approach to strengthening partnerships with local and international organizations, exchanging expertise and knowledge, and developing professional practices in the field of mental health, thereby contributing to expanding access to practical, evidence-based psychological interventions.

We may not always have the ability to change the circumstances around us, but we can learn skills that help us deal with them with awareness and flexibility, and focus on what matters.