be a part of my first step of pcychology career

siham abu ali Start Date: Sep 6, 2020 - End Date: Jan 5, 2021
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My Travel Story

by: siham abu ali Start Date: Sep 6, 2020 - End Date: Jan 5, 2021
Be a part of my first step in my psychology career
So, I am planning on attending a summer program for Psychology and neuroscience in the University of St Andrews and be the only Palestinian to take part in it. 
 
Project Overview: 

I have a dream of becoming a clinical psychologist. Not for the sake of me as Siham, but as a Palestinian seeing how people around me suffer from health issues.




How it started


I was 14 years old when I saw my close friend experiencing her first panic attack right before my eyes. I was oblivious to what that was, and so did she. We started searching about her symptoms and discovered she suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. She couldn't find  many psychologists here in Palestine, and going to ones she found would cost a fortune. Keeping in mind, our society isn't very aware about mental health and emotions so her going to a psychologist would be considered more of a taboo. Hence, I started researching and watching Youtube videos in order to help her.  
I started reading about many more disorders like schizophrenia, OCD, anorexia and more. While reading, I figured out my friend wasn't the only one suffering; There are many Palestinians suffering from disorders and mental illnesses. We live in oppression due to the brutal occupation which causes stress, mental and health issues and it is easily noted that our suffering isn't taken into consideration. That was when I decided to study psychology and help raise awareness about this issue. My goal is to make psychology a more approachable and accepted subject that we teach, learn and talk about. 
 
The golden opportunity
As I was researching about ways I can further enhance my knowledge in psychology, I found a summer program for Psychology and Neuroscience in the  University of St Andrews in Scotland. It's a 3 weeks program which covers a broad range of topics such as:
Evolutionary and developmental psychology
social psychology
cognition
perception
educational psychology
brain function and the biology of neurons
disorders of the nervous system (for example, Alzheimer’s Disease or Motor Neuron Disease).
I applied and was offered a place in this prestigious program.

As I got accepted, I found out that I will be the only Arab, and Palestinian to attend this program out of the many other students. I felt I now have a greater responsibility to teach people about Palestine, and the power of its people. I want to show people that Palestine isn't a forgotten dot on the map, but a place where motivated, extraordinary change makers and ambassadors are born and raised. 
  
If I achieve the $3000 target of the campaign, I will be a great representative of Palestine. The money will fully cover the fees of the program, and travel expenses which I can't cover due to financial issues we're currently facing.
This step is a very important building block in my psychology career, which will start with this summer program ,extending to opening a clinic which will help people suffering just like my close friend.

Every share and dollar counts, so please join me in making a difference and giving back to our Palestine . Please join me in my dream by donating or sharing with your friends! 
 




  • Canada
  • United States of America