This service is provided by the Deanery of Student Affairs aiming to help struggling students overcome their difficulties and reach the required academic level. Our main target group are students with receptive and cognitive special needs, such as students with visual and/or auditory disabilities, ADHD or on the spectrum. The service is provided under the umbrella of their medical coverage. No extra fees are required. As such, all referrals have to come through the Dean of Student Affairs according to the following procedure:
Students who are already diagnosed with sensory, cognitive, behavioral or other psychological problems, have to present their medical reports to the clinic for validation. The Clinic, in turn, refers them to the Student Affairs Deanery, for the dean to approve their referral for psychological assessment to suggest an individual intervention plan that may be carried out over a set number of sessions, in addition to a letter of recommendations issued to their respective faculties stating the nature of their problem and suggesting the necessary modifications as of how to present the learning material, tools needed and how to set up the exam rooms, in order to facilitate their learning process.
The service also covers Walk-In students, who happen to experience different stresses or problems due to the change of environment or the nature of their studies, such as students who face problems adjusting to the academic environment, and students who lack good communication, time management, planning, and learning skills. These students usually are directed to us either by their academic advisors or by some friend in the grapevine. For these students, the procedure differs slightly. Instead of a standardized test, a screening test is first administered to decide the type and severity of the symptoms and whether there is a need for an official psychiatric diagnosis to decide if the student is suffering from an underlying psychological disorder, or if he/she is just going through a transient mismanagement phase. Upon the results of the screening test, the decision is made of the next step; we get the approval for either to refer the student to the neuropsychologist at Academy’s Clinic or we decide on an intervention plan carried out by the clinical psychologist over a course of about 12 sessions, to enhance the skills the student needs to take control over his/her circumstances.
In both cases, attending the intervention sessions is optional to the students, and does not affect their academic evaluation in any way. Yet, as we try to adjust the appointments according to their timetables and exam schedules, most of them tend to comply.
Interviews, assessments, and intervention sessions are administered in a secluded environment respecting the student’s privacy.
Assessments, screening tests, intervention plans, and sessions are all done by a certified trained clinical psychologist
The diagnostic assessment tools used are the Arabized version of internationally standardized tests such as Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRDS/ Ham-D), Sorensen Self-Esteem Test, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-Bocs). Other self- reporting screening tests or subtests, assessing certain aspects or symptoms of the disorder may.
be used or translated from local or international published studies .These screenings MAY NOT be used as diagnostic tools, but ONLY as guidelines to structure the necessary intervention plan, focusing on how the symptoms are manifested in their daily life showing symptoms such as mood swings, motivation, eating and sleeping disorders, social withdrawal, memory problems, impulsivity, emotional reactions, personal interactions, and negative thoughts or emotions such as fear, anger, worry, and grief.
Based on the results of these assessments and the outcome of the initial clinical interview that precedes them, we draw an individual intervention plan for each student according to his needs. The intervention plan for psychological disorders is mainly structured using the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach (CBT). Yet, along the course of therapy, we may also borrow some techniques from other approaches such as (DBT), (EFT), (NVC), Mindfulness and Schema Therapy (ST) if needed according to the progress of the student.
For cognitive and sensory deficits, the intervention plan is structured differently as it focuses on enhancing the weakened skills of the student, and strengthening the strong ones. Thus, it includes visual and auditory perception exercises, attention, focus, and memory trainings, understanding semantic formation, eliciting underlying information, and analytic and deductive thinking skills.
Over the past five years, we have served over 150 students, most of them have already graduated, or are about to.
Contact Us
Dean for Student Affairs – Alexandria Students’ Affairs Building at Abu Qir
Telephone :03-5611815
Ext: 1660fax- 03/5622525
Email: students.affairs@aast.edu
