Centring Human Complexity
Testimonial of Mina Ghanem, Junior Health Advisor and Lecturer
How can the complexities of the field inform academic debate? For MHPSS practitioner and lecturer Mina Ghanem, this question drives her work. The Academic Writing Workshop helped her acquire the tools and a pathway for turning practice-based insights into meaningful academic contributions.
The workshop, organised by ARQ International in collaboration with Intervention journal and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), was held in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. For Mina, the workshop went beyond writing skills development, as it was also a space to reflect, connect, learn MHPSS writing tips and effectively start writing.
A Personal and Professional Calling
Mina’s journey into the MHPSS field began during her master’s degree in Social Work at the German Jordanian University. While studying and completing various courses, she sought hands-on experience through consultancies and internships – which provided practical foundations for her first professional role with GIZ.
“I was trying to get short consultancies and internships to practice in different areas, such as gender-based violence protection, also among refugees and in camps in Jordan,” Mina recalls. “When I joined GIZ, I worked on a PSS project focused on equipping health workers with essential, non-specialised skills of psychosocial support.”
But her connection to the field is more than professional – it's deeply personal. “I am a proud Jordanian, but I come from Palestinian roots,” she explains. “Jordan is a hosting country. My family and I were hosted, too. Fortunately, I have a country that stood by our identity and gave us rights. I never stopped thinking of how to pay back such a welcoming environment. So I’ve always wanted to do something meaningful that serves my community and supports my country, Jordan.”
Learning from the Field: Teaching, Identity, and Ethical Practice
As a university instructor, Mina regularly takes students on field visits to refugee and IDP camps. These visits, she says, underscore the gap between theory and lived experience.
“Reality can sometimes be very far from the theoretical part,” she says. “Teaching the reality is very sensitive, especially with international students unfamiliar with the Jordanian culture and context. I’m still learning how to deliver the message appropriately.”
Her field experience also sharpened her capacity to navigate ethical challenges, particularly applying the principle of Do No Harm. “Being in the camp has its own challenges, insights and situations that you never imagined you would face. ‘Do no harm’ is easy to define, but much harder to apply in practice.”
"You can't always specify one root cause of a problem. It’s not like math."
Strengthening the Bridge Between Theory and Practice
Mina is driven by the desire to bring practical realities into academic discussion, especially around identity and displacement. This is what drew her to the ARQ Academic Writing Workshop, supported by Intervention. “I know the complexities within the MHPSS field, and it's often where we see practitioners going against academics. Because in the field, people’s psychological statuses and social conditions are so layered, you can't always specify one root cause of a problem. It’s not like math.”
The workshop helped her explore these field complexities in writing, and gradually shifted her view of the workshop’s broader potential. “At the very beginning, I was not sure of the workshop’s benefit. You know, we all face workshops where it’s ‘just a workshop.’ However, networking with colleagues from various countries was enriching. We could come up with very different perspectives about the same topic. There was much space for debate.”
A 15-Minute Block at a Time
What helped most? According to Mina, it was a surprisingly simple exercise. “Just like—you have 15 minutes, you just write. Then another 15 minutes to improve. That was insightful. It gave me reassurance that the quality at this stage doesn’t matter. It’s just a way of getting your fingers on the keyboard to get thoughts out of your mind.”
She also appreciated new techniques and tools—like “the five whys” method for digging deeper into ideas—and was even inspired to rethink her scepticism toward AI tools in writing. “I was very much against AI in the beginning, but I learned from writing workshop peers how to use it in a beneficial way.” Mina hopes to continue her academic journey with a PhD focused on identity. Thanks to the workshop, she feels better equipped to contribute to inclusive, field-informed research.
Mina participated in the Academic Writing Workshop in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which ARQ International designed in collaboration with Intervention journal and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. We and our partners are grateful for this support in stimulating the transformative power of inclusive research and advocacy.
Academic Writing Workshop for your organisation?
Supported by Intervention Journal, ARQ provides writing workshops to support practitioners and early career researchers in MHPSS in growing their academic writing skills. Would you like to know more about the possibilities?
