{"id":129711,"date":"2025-09-15T12:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T12:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=129711"},"modified":"2025-09-15T12:06:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T12:06:02","slug":"syrias-mental-health-crisis-deepens-with-unqualified-practitioners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/129711\/","title":{"rendered":"Syria\u2019s mental health crisis deepens with unqualified practitioners\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) \u2013 <\/strong>In recent years, Syria\u2019s psychiatry and psychological treatment sector has witnessed a sharp rise in unqualified practitioners, sparking debate about the profession\u2019s transformation into an unregulated commercial activity. The spread of unlicensed clinics underscores a serious problem: the absence of professional standards and effective oversight, which has allowed individuals with little or no academic training to provide therapeutic services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ministry responsibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Damascus resident Sara Anis blamed the Ministries of Social Affairs and Labor, and Health, for failing to curb the phenomenon. Speaking to North Press, she noted that the current environment enables \u201canyone who completes a two-day or one-week course to start practicing psychological treatment\u2014and often making harmful mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anis stressed the urgent need for strict laws requiring at least a specialized university degree, alongside tighter ministerial supervision. \u201cThere should be clear laws regulating this field. Practitioners must at least hold specialized certificates, and the ministry must enforce stricter oversight,\u201d she said, warning that the lack of standards poses direct risks to patients\u2019 safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social and economic dimensions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ranim Matouq, a lecturer at Damascus University, linked the issue to both social and economic conditions. She explained that weak societal awareness of mental health, coupled with widespread financial hardship, has created demand for low-cost but unqualified practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe percentage of Syrians who can afford a psychiatrist is very low,\u201d she told North Press. \u201cWhen you advise someone to seek professional treatment, they often respond that there are more urgent priorities than spending large sums on doctors and medications. People focus on securing their family\u2019s basic needs, which they consider far more important than mental health care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that a large proportion of Syrians cannot afford the costs of formal psychotherapy sessions, which drives them to seek cheaper alternatives offered by unqualified individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danger of unqualified practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For his part, Hossam Shahada, a specialist in psychological support and licensing official at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, said the problem was compounded by the absence of licensing opportunities for graduates of psychology and education faculties. This vacuum, he noted, opened the door for untrained individuals\u2014often with certificates from unrecognized online courses\u2014to practice psychotherapy illegally, resulting in serious professional errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He emphasized that providing psychological support, particularly to refugees, survivors, and in times of natural or man-made disasters, requires highly trained specialists. \u201cA psychotherapist does not have the authority to prescribe medications,\u201d Shahada cautioned, underscoring the sensitivity of the profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New licensing measures <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shahada revealed that a new draft decision\u2014approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor\u2014will allow graduates of education and psychology faculties to license psychological support and treatment centers. The measure, drafted in cooperation with the Ministries of Health and Education in 2023, was delayed due to bureaucratic disputes and conflicting interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that oversight of illegal practices had declined significantly after 2017, due to the war and loss of regime control in some regions, allowing unqualified practitioners to proliferate. \u201cUnfortunately, since 2017 there has been no effective oversight. The crisis and instability caused the situation to spiral out of control in many areas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shahada confirmed that stricter regulations will be enforced within the next two years to prevent unqualified individuals from working in psychological support. \u201cCounseling and psychiatric work is extremely delicate. Those who complete short courses lasting only a few weeks or months do not have the competence required to practice this profession,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further noted that new conditions for licensing will include strict requirements related to facilities\u2014such as location, lighting, and ventilation\u2014alongside the academic qualifications of staff and prohibitions governing professional practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shahada concluded by recalling that in countries such as Lebanon and Egypt, psychology and education graduates have long been able to open licensed counseling centers, whereas in Syria this path was blocked\u2014until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting by Norman al-Abbas<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Editing by Jwan Shekaki<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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