The word “Diwan” is short for the word Diwaneyya; which is a place for social gathering and discussions in some Arab Gulf countries. The word is equivalent to what we call (Dawaar) in our Egyptian villages. In Arabic ‘Diwan’ also means ‘a collection of poems,’ which is relevant to DPC’s practice of poetry therapy.
History
Inspired by the concept of the psychiatric day-hospital founded in Egypt by Dr.Yehia Rakhawy,
Diwan Psychotherapy Center (DPC) was established in 2006. It is the first specialized day center in Egypt aiming to support people who have transient or long-standing psychological difficulties by creating an integrative therapeutic milieu.
DPC’s early beginnings were with heterogeneous client-groups with a wide variety of conditions including behavioural problems, clinical depression and different forms of anxiety and psychotic disorders.
Here are a few of our accomplishments as part of our ongoing effort to better accommodate our clients’ needs:
DPC has set up a host of group meetings for our mentally challenged clients to bond and support one another in skill-building recreational activities.
DPC has produced two theatrical plays that have led to noticeably improved symptoms as well as enhanced social skills.
DPC has come a long way in tailoring workshops for our clients.
Mission and Values
Mission
We aim to provide accessible, quality mental health care for adolescents, adults, and their families; utilizing an array of holistic therapeutic approaches. We operate in a climate of compassion, trust, respect and confidentiality.
Values
We believe a supportive healing environment that encourages personal development and promotes wellness and productivity complementing regular psychiatric visits is essential for our clients to cope effectively with their difficulties and show improvement. It is our belief that therapy in groups capitalizes on factors such as interpersonal learning, guidance and group cohesiveness to create environments that are optimally conducive to growth.
In addition to working with individuals, DPC holds a deep commitment to the community at large. In this regard, it is our great joy to see some of our methods being successfully implemented in Cairo University (Kasr Al Ainy Hospital- Psychiatry Department). Furthermore, the integrative group therapy approach of DPC was one of the sparks leading to the establishment of the Foundation of the Egyptian Association of Group Therapies.
