Resilience, desert life and being uncle Elie.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and last week was Mental Health Awareness Week 2026(Monday 11-Sunday 17 May 2026) with the theme for this year being” Every action counts for better mental health”. On a personal level as a father and professionally as a mental health practitioner I chose to take action by looking into literature/research on what qualifies as good mental health in Children and Young People(CYP) and how we can help promote it.One of the main objectives of research is knowledge translation(sharing findings) and in this case my course of action was to create awareness regarding understanding and promoting good mental health in CYP. Research revolves around answering questions and as such that was my start point and regarding this topic i ended up with multiple. What is good mental health means in children and young people?how it can be recognised and promoted? How does good mental health relate to but is distinct from mental illness? Is good mental health similar or d...

Thank God for holidays and happy 54th UAE National day, I thank God for this great country. On an ordinary Tuesday morning I would be stuck in traffic making my way to school therapy sessions but not today, am currently comfortably sipping coffee listening to Sinatra on the background. Only welcomed annoyance is my beloved mountain(Jabali) who is also enjoying having dad at home on a weekday more than the break from school. He is officially on holiday mode now that schools are closed for the winter break and it is that ambivalent time for the year for us parents to don one of our many hats(chief entertainment managers) and figure out how to keep the children engaged for the whole month. Holidays are meant to be the best time of the year especially the winter school break which for us Christians coincides with the advent season leading to Christmas. Unfortunately it can be the most stressful having learnt that from experience as a father to a typically developing son and a therapist...

  If you are a parent like me then you have probably dropped your child/children to school for the last time this semester and looking forward to the summer break(albeit with mixed feelings).To be honest these break is usually a difficult time than the other shorter ones during the cooler months mostly because of the transition from academic routine and structure to the two month hot unstructured summer. Having survived the long semester of daily school drop offs/pick ups, homework and exam agony; the challenges swiftly shift to home and personally to add on to the many caps I wear on a daily basis,the entertainment manager to my son during the summer break is the least I prefer. Is the summer slide a myth or fact? Is the loss or regression of skills(either academic or therapy skills) that the children have worked hard to acquire a certainty during the summer break? As an occupational therapist working with children with high/special needs  who thrive on schedules,predictabili...

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friend"(John 15.13 NLT ).  Happy Resurrection Sunday. Easter is probably the most important anniversary in the Christian calendar when over 2000 years ago Jesus laid down his life for us that by his resurrection we have the promise of life. In addition to Easter, I was fortunate enough to celebrate some few other anniversaries this month. 08.04.2016 is a special day forever engraved not only on my wedding ring but in my heart.They day when two became one and by Gods' grace finally betrothed my beloved.It has been 9 years of His goodness and faithfulness albeit some lemons which we have graciously enjoyed lemonade after. Our 9th wedding anniversary. 16.04.2024. First year anniversary since the floods hit Dubai/U.A.E and made us re-think climate change and remote working.In 12 hours our 'desert' country received an equivalent of a one year total rainfall. Fortunately or unfortunately one client ...

 Eid Mubarak, Trust all are well and enjoying the much deserved break.Fortunately found time to squeeze in a swim session for my son the 'mountain' with his favourite uncle(Nigerian swim coach) for the umpteenth time.They have a bond of which am at times jealous about,he listens to him more than dad(at times).He has been his swimming coach for the past 2 years and yes,him being Nigerian(someone looking like dad helped) cemented their bond.Good investment looking back,he swims better than both me and mom combined. Got me thinking while watching them doing their thing,same thing i do with my beloved children at the clinic.The number one complaint parents report when am picking their children from the reception area and/or dropping them back is that they 'do not listen at home',it is impossible for them to teach and generalize skills learnt in the structured clinic session back in the community.I can totally relate with them since at home my wife/mom has always been the be...

Last week (March 8) to be precise marked the 5th year anniversary since the UAE Government announced the immediate closure of schools in efforts to contain Covid 19.This was followed by among other measures like suspending prayers in all places of worship,encouraging remote working,shopping centers closures,stay at home order,suspension of visa and flights etc. In the UAE, what was meant to be a month of remote learning and work extended to months with most schools and public places only resuming services in August 2020 under strict health and safety rules. This was replicated all over the world and globally the world had "shut down". As an allied health medic which is part of essential services ,I was fortunate enough to be issued with a movement permit which allowed for trips to/from work(to attend to the few clients who were still brave enough to make it to the clinic) and personally i still remember a chill passing next to Dubai international airport and seeing hundreds ...