QF project to use art therapy to help fight depression, anxiety in kids

Doha: One of the themes the project – led by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and funded by Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Qatar National Research Fund – will focus on is national identity. 

In collaboration with the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), the project will use the museum’s artifacts to offer children virtual opportunities to explore their history and roots, while also aiming to counteract some of the effects of social distancing and isolation. While children have remained largely shielded from the physical impacts of COVID-19, they appear to be the ones suffering most in terms of mental health. Isolation from friends and drastically limited in-person social interaction, while for their own good, has slowly but surely creeped up on their mental well-being. In a time where the need for counseling has increased but in-person counseling is not an option, an increasing number of therapists have resorted to using telehealth.