On 5 July 1998, GCMHP hosted Dr. David Henley, a Swedish specialist working in the Palestinian Solidarity Association in Sweden, to give a lecture on “Community Based Rehabilitation” to staff members.

In his lecture, Dr. Henley defined rehabilitation and the different rehabilitation methods. In addition, he talked about benefiting from different social powers such as family and friends to ensure the success of the rehabilitation process.

Dr. Henley also gave two examples of community based rehabilitation. The first was on how to use this type of rehabilitation to help people suffering from physical handicaps caused by violence. The second example was on how to use community based rehabilitation to help those suffering from psychological disorders, especially children and teenagers.

Extensive discussion on this issue followed the lecture. Moreover, it was agreed that a group of GCMHP staff members will work to develop a community based rehabilitation project. This project will take into account benefiting from different powers in society such as parents, teachers, school counselors, social workers, and medical professionals in order to offer rehabilitation services to the people that rehabilitation specialists cannot reach.