Amany Gazalla

I graduated from the psychology department in 2010. As an undergraduate student, I volunteered in some organizations (e.g., Resala organization in Cairo), which help disadvantaged people in different areas of Egypt. After getting my B.A. degree, I started my study for a Master's degree in clinical and counseling psychology at Ain Shams University in Cairo. During my study, I developed an interest in mental health and clinical issues and got practical experience in clinical assessment. As part of my training, I had to attend class sessions and case rounds in diagnosing mental disorders and different intervention techniques. I started to get a clear idea about how I can turn my sympathy with those who suffer and my passion to help them into concrete work that can make their life easier. After getting my Master's degree in 2014, I was appointed in Al Abbasia Hospital for Mental Health and Addiction (probably the oldest and the largest of its kind in the Middle East) as a clinical psychologist. In my work, I have the chance to counsel people suffering from different psychiatric disorders and mental health problems, write reports about their cases, evaluate their needs, design appropriate intervention plans for them and refer them to suitable medical services if they need, and give their families psycho-educational training about their disorders and their consequences. Moreover, I have got the chance to work within multi-disciplinary teams, engage in many case discussion meetings, and be a member of many awareness campaigns. In 2015 I registered as a Ph. D. student at the same University. Very recently (in July), I finished my dissertation and passed my oral defense to be entitled to the Ph.D. degree in clinical and counseling psychology.