Mental Health Awareness: Souhad Chbeir

To honor Mental Health Awareness Month, we spoke to US Together’s Mental Health Counselor, Souhad Chbeir to learn about how she’s been providing services to clients under strict stay-at-home orders. Souhad started at UST in 2019, mostly working on Victims of Crime and Violence Against Women cases and providing weekly sessions for multiple clients. The past few months have been tough for many, with uncertainty surrounding people’s health, financial status, and immigration processes, leading to an even larger need for her services. Fortunately, Souhad has been successful in providing this help from home through Telehealth, a method of distributing health assistance virtually. She primarily conducts phone calls to work on cognitive behavioral therapy methods that she typically uses in the office, and it’s been very effective for clients.

This unprecedented situation leaves much out of a person’s control, but Souhad stresses relaxation and problem solving as highly important coping mechanisms. Finding healthy coping mechanisms isn’t only a suggestion she offers to clients, but one she says can help anyone during this time. From meditation and deep breathing to learning to cook and exercising, she believes it’s essential to participate in any activities that can lift our mood. Souhad mentions praying as one successful activity used by many of her clients. “Tough situations make people more resilient,” she says, and quoting a popular phrase, “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.” We want to thank Souhad for all of her great work at US Together!