As one of Oman’s most renowned mental health activists, Her HIghness Sayyida Basma Al Said is constantly planning and participating in events that create awareness about the importance of mental wellbeing. And these various acts of giving back to society prove how dedicated the Psychotherapist and Clinical Hypnotherapist is to creating a better Oman.
While Al Said, who covers multiple treatment methods, has many important roles, the most significant remains as the owner and Founder of Whispers of Serenity Clinic, the first private mental health and counselling clinic in Oman. In addition to providing therapy for people, the winner of the GR8! Women Achievers Awards and other accolades launched the holistic wellbeing centre to provide the necessary and complementary education.
As well as the running of the clinic, Al Said, who strongly believes in the need to be more vocal about mental health, is behind the Not Alone campaign. The mental health awareness initiative aims to spread awareness in a creative way and give children, teenagers and adults the opportunity to interact, connect and share matters about mental health. And underscoring the fact these issues affect the lives of millions daily and should not be considered as a taboo is a priority for the organisers.
In addition to travelling around the globe to speak publicly, Al Said has organised a number of events, including Not Alone walkathons, art competitions and awareness videos. She has also hosted two forums. The second one, entitled Not Alone: Young Minds Mental Health Forum, focused on adolescence and the teenage mind and featured workshops on bullying, anger management, accidental disasters and how to deal with children’s anger. The forum also saw the launch of an app to help children deal with bullying and abuse, discuss issues in a friendly and informal way and benefit from games.
The royal’s career path began at Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, where she began working as a mental health counsellor in the Department of Behavioural Medicine for 11 years. Al Said, who obtained a Master's Degree in Mental Health from Curtin University in Australia, has also worked for a few months at the North Perth Migrant Resource Center counselling refugees and immigrants. The mental health expert, who had some training at Harvard Medical School as well, specialises in group counselling, couples counselling, as well as relaxation and meditation. Al Said also offers art and drama therapy, counselling for abuse and maltreatment survivors and family counselling.
