Radiance in Pain and Resilience

About the Author

Dr Samah Jabr, a consultant psychiatrist practicing in Palestine, serving communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, is former Head of the Mental Health Unit within the Palestinian Ministry of Health. She is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University in Washington DC. Dr Jabr is a trainer and supervisor with a special focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mhGAP, and the Istanbul Protocol for the documentation of torture. She frequently consults on program development for international organizations. Her key interests include the rights of prisoners, suicide prevention, and historical trauma. In addition to her clinical work, Dr Jabr has dedicated over two decades to advocating on behalf of the mental healthcare of the Palestinian people, focusing on victims of torture and trauma. She is the author of several books, including Behind the Frontlines: Chronicles of a Palestinian psychiatrist psychotherapist under occupation, Sumud: Resisting oppression, Sumud in Times of Genocide, and The Time of Genocide: Bearing witness to a year in Palestine; many of these have been published in multiple languages. Dr Jabr integrates her medical expertise with her activism, often addressing the psychological impact of occupation, historical trauma, and war. She is a co-founder of the Sumud Network for Mental Health, an international initiative bringing together practitioners, scholars and advocates to centre justice-oriented, anti-colonial approaches to mental health care in conflict and post-conflict settings. She is a prolific speaker on liberation psychology and the ethical responsibilities of mental health professionals in conflict zones.