Raouf Hajji

By Oluwatoyin Olatundun Ilesanmi, Faith Ibitoyosi Ilesanmi, Raouf Hajji and Garba Moussa

Since the upsurge of Coronavirus in 2019, the WHO and the US CDC have been detecting and characterizing new variants and providing updates to healthcare workers, the public, and global partners on its spread and effects on patients with noncommunicable diseases and co-morbid ailments. Epidemiology and virologic evidence suggest that COVID-19 and its subsequent deadly variants have been associated with mental and neurological manifestations, including delirium or encephalopathy, agitation, acute cerebrovascular disease, meningoencephalitis, impaired sense of smell or taste, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. While data on these complications may be available in the global north and south, there is a paucity of literature in most African States. Recent developments in COVID-19-related theories and concepts include ethical principles for clinical, counseling, psycho-therapeutic, and rehabilitation options for special and vulnerable populations, such as pediatric patients, pregnant women, mothers, older people, PLWDs, and other marginalized groups. However, there is no known coordinated and multidisciplinary continuum of clinical, counseling, and psychotherapy COVID-19 care pathways for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and their families in the African States. Hence, the need for this scoping analysis of existing literature on the psycho-social and health implications of COVID-19 Comorbidity-Related Complications for vulnerable persons in developing societies.

Part of the book: Counseling and Therapy

By Oluwatoyin Olatundun Ilesanmi, Faith Ibitoyosi Ilesanmi and Raouf Hajji

The relief societies are diverse and consist of humanitarian organizations and humanitarian NGOs. They provide emergency aid interventions to victims of armed conflicts, protracted wars, famines, and natural disasters across the globe. The relief societies have witnessed multiple arrays of complex humanitarian catastrophes affecting families in varying degrees in a global dimension and impact. These societies have been providing lifesaving assistance and protection for victims of war, orphans, and vulnerable groups. They have been reducing the impact of humanitarian crises on families and communities, providing aid for recovery and improving preparedness for future emergencies for moral, altruistic, and emotional reasons. Crisis-impacted families may be located far from the fragile locale or in the eye of the storm. Their losses may be psychosocial, economic, or psychological distress or mental health issues. At the onset of the Russian–Ukrainian War, families across the global community are already counting their losses. These call for novel therapeutic interventions among clinicians and counseling psychotherapists. This chapter, therefore, highlights existing strategies for innovative therapeutic measures for families affected by complex humanitarian emergencies.

Part of the book: Family Therapy