Eman Hamdan a psychologist at SOS Children’s Village Bethlehem

Eman has been working for SOS Children’s Villages since the end of May 2022. Previously, there was no psychologist, and her position was newly created at SOS Children’s Village in Bethlehem. Three social workers have provided additional support to children, but the need was big, and hiring a psychologist is a necessity.

Most of the children who were admitted to SOS Children’s Village came from family backgrounds that contain abuse, neglect, or parental loss. Many of them also experienced psychological traumas that reflect negatively on their mental health and stability.

As a start, a general mental health assessment was carried out for all children in the SOS village – Bethlehem, to identify the major psychological difficulties that children suffer from. The result of the assessment showed that most of the children suffer from anxiety, sleep problems, anger and aggressive behaviours, depression, concentration, and attention difficulties.

According to Eman, children have a very great need for support.  “In order to develop an appropriate treatment plan for the child, we must first understand the nature and cause of these symptoms. Many of the children were subjected to losses and traumatic experiences at an early age, and many of them lived their first life in different orphanages, where they did not have the opportunity to build a secure relationship with a stable parental figure. Therefore, they may not feel secure enough to build healthy relationships with others, and they may find it difficult to understand and talk about their own feelings”.

Psychological intervention is very important for children from the moment they enter the SOS Village. The psychologist says that “the process of learning to identify and express their feelings is very important. Only then can they learn to manage these feelings in a positive way. Body language is often the only way to express themselves. Therefore, we see many children suffering from communication problems, and attention problems. Children tend to resort to aggressive behaviours to vent these feelings”.

The psychological intervention is vital to help the child to build a healthy relationship with others, and enhance his coping skills to overcome the traumas he experienced.

Sharing activities with children outside the village is also important for the children’s development. There they learn self-confidence and how to integrate into society. “It makes a big difference when the children realize that they are not alone with their problems; learn from their peers how to deal with challenges or how they make decisions and react”.

Children like to come to therapy sessions and to Child-Friendly Place in the SOS- Bethlehem and enjoy all the activities. This is especially true for children who have experienced trauma, who don’t know how to play anymore, and who need a safe space to learn how to play again. The first priority is to give children a normal life. In order for children to survive, they need inner stability. Only then can they cope with the many uncertainties on the outside.