How It all began

From Resistance to a Movement..
Nafsaniyoun Center began with a simple belief:

Psychology should not exist only in universities, clinics, or research papers; it should live with people, serve communities, and respond to the urgent needs of our time.

In 2016, a group of psychology students in Lebanon came together around this shared conviction.

We saw a field that was disconnected from the realities of our society and we decided to change that.

A beginning without privilege In 2017, we officially launched Nafsaniyoun Center in Lebanon, we had no funding, no paid staff, and no institutional support. Only volunteers ,vision and commitment.

We began building what didn’t exist:

• Free psychological trainings accessible to all.
• Community programs shaped by local needs.
• A space for learning, dialogue, and psychological presence Growth Through Action.

We launched:

• Hundreds of free and affordable training programs.
• Dozens of national awareness campaigns.
• Nafsaniyoun Book Fair which is the first event of its kind in Lebanon.
• Interventions in times of crisis, political upheaval, and war.

Everything was carried forward by psychologists, students, educators, volunteers and citizens from different majors and background who gave their time and energy freely.

To this day, Nafsaniyoun remains 100% volunteer-run.

International Reach and Recognition

Between 2020 and 2024, we hosted three major international conferences in Beirut.
These events drew thousands of participants from across the Arab world and beyond.

We welcomed:

• Leading Arab and international psychologists.
• Cross-disciplinary voices from education, media, and activism.
• Dialogues centered on trauma, identity, resistance, arts and mental health in the region.

The conferences helped position Lebanon and Nafsaniyoun as a regional hub for psychological dialogue grounded in local experience.

Publications

We have been publishing several psychological books written and edited by Nafsaniyoun network. These works are now used by students, practitioners, and educators across the region making psychology more accessible, culturally relevant, and locally rooted; shaping the field beyond training and outreach, Nafsaniyoun played a central role in reshaping the profession itself.

We brought psychology into:

• Schools and classrooms.
• Newsrooms and talk shows.
• Public institutions and policy discussions.
• Civil society and protest spaces.

We mentored hundreds of psychology students and young professionals, honored the legacy of Arab psychological pioneers, and built networks of mutual support across generations.

In 2021, we supported the establishment of the Lebanese Order of Psychologists through presence, persistence, and public trust.

Today Nafsaniyoun is more than a center, it’s a movement:

• Over 1,000 members and instructors.
• Presence in more than 30 countries.
• No employees, no donors, no commercial goals, we remain independent, community rooted, and committed to one purpose; making psychology a discipline for healing, equality, and collective transformation.