Therapy for Under-Privileged

Children and adolescents with mental health conditions or learning difficulties need support from professionals to address their needs and deliver interventions that help facilitate the children’s learning and to optimize their social and emotional well-being. If those conditions are left untreated, there can be detrimental effects on various areas of a child’s life (emotional, social, academic, other). Patients identified as eligible to receive financial support by the team of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at AUBMC are then referred to Focus Fund so they are able to receive the treatment needed. Services that Focus offers are psychiatry, psychotherapy, special education, and neuropsychological assessment. Sometimes a child is also referred for inpatient stay as needed. Focus has supported 40 patients whose ages range between 9 months and 18 years. Conditions addressed are ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Autism, Learning Disorders, and Intellectual Disorder. Over 720 sessions were offered between July 2016 and November 2017. Therapists involved in the services are: Yasmine Masri, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Carla Najem, M.A, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist Hala Raad, M.Ed, Special Education Teacher Download PDF