Harbor London

17/02/2026

As Ramadan begins, we wish peace and strength to all those observing.

The coming weeks bring a poignant time for reflection, discipline, and spiritual connection.

May this month bring you clarity, comfort, and renewal.

13/02/2026

Mental health treatment isn’t just talking through one’s challenges.

It goes so much deeper than that.

For Arabic-speaking individuals and families, support must transcend into accounting for values, family roles, religion, stigma and more.

Shahira Kamal shares how we meet those needs with thoughtful, individualised care.

Find out more about our deep cultural expertise: https://harborlondon.com/treatment/exclusive-arabic-services/

12/02/2026

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all plan.

When working with Arab clients and families, we must go far beyond simply “What’s the diagnosis?”, into “what matters most to this person?”, and “what does healing need to look like for them?”

Whether spirituality, reputation, career, or faith – understanding these layers means we can build care that respects the person’s world, not just their symptoms.

Watch Shahira Kamal explain how cultural understanding shapes treatment from the very first conversation.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPQ0OU2bTac

11/02/2026

"What matters to the client becomes part of the treatment."

We go further than clinical assessment. A big part of our treatment programme lies in exploring beliefs, values, and spiritual identity.

This helps to shape a journey to wellbeing that truly reflects the individual.

Watch the full video conversation with Shahira Kamal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPQ0OU2bTac

10/02/2026

"Just speak and tell me what's happening."

For many Arabic-speaking families, seeking help for a loved one’s mental health can feel like crossing a cultural and linguistic canyon.

In this video, Clinical Director – Shahira Kamal – shares how speaking to someone in their own language without pressure and clinical terms can be the first step towards care that truly meets them where they are.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPQ0OU2bTac

09/02/2026

Digital behaviour is rarely just digital.

Shifts in online activity (such as impulsive posting, late-night uploads, emotionally charged statements, and abrupt changes in tone) are increasingly recognised in clinical literature as behavioural signals, not personality quirks.

In high-responsibility or high-visibility contexts, these patterns can surface before distress becomes apparent offline. Affective instability, sleep disruption, compromised executive functioning, or substance-related disinhibition may all narrow judgement and increase emotional reactivity, with social media acting as an accelerant rather than a cause.

Unmanaged digital dysregulation can escalate rapidly into reputational, relational, or organisational risk. When recognised early, however, online behaviour can function as a window into psychological continuity, **offering an opportunity for timely containment, assessment, and stabilisation.

We explore how maladaptive social media patterns map onto underlying mental states, outlines when digital behaviour signals clinical escalation rather than situational stress, and provides evidence-based management strategies that protect both wellbeing and legacy

Take a look: https://harborlondon.com/management-strategies-for-navigating-maladaptive-social-media-patterns/

06/02/2026

Almost half of elite athletes can report experiencing depression or anxiety.

That’s nearly 3 times the rate in the general population.

These accomplished individuals may appear at peak performance, but the emotional cost of relentless pressure, isolation, and public expectation is seldom spoken in the same breath.

While the Winter Olympics being on the horizon is exciting for many, we’re mustn’t forget the strain that can so often occur in elite performance, away from the celebrations and headlines. And more importantly, what’s needed to care for the individual, not the athlete.

So we’re spotlighting the statistics behind the podiums.

See how Harbor supports athletes facing these unique challenges: https://harborlondon.com/treatment/treatments/sports-service/

05/02/2026

Supporting someone across borders means understanding the environment they’re returning to — the language, the culture, the pressure, the privacy.

We sat down with Medical Director – Dr Farrukh Alam – to discuss how we work with clients and their families from the Arab world and beyond, to help best shape their personal journey to wellness.

From adapting clinical language to engaging local networks, every detail is shaped around trust, dignity, and long-term care.

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/25Eo4uX-nu8

When someone enters treatment, their culture doesn’t stay at the door.In this interview, Harbor’s Medical Director, Dr Farrukh Alam, shares his insights into...

04/02/2026

Grief does not occur in a cultural vacuum.

For Chinese and Arab people living abroad, bereavement can be shaped not only by the death itself, but by distance from ritual, language, community, and inherited expectations around how mourning ‘should’ be held. In clinical terms, this is sometimes described as cultural bereavement - the psychological distress that can arise when loss is accompanied by a felt rupture from one’s cultural world.

Our insight explores:

- Why cultural dissonance can complicate bereavement for diaspora communities
- How Chinese and Arab mourning frameworks shape the expression of grief
- Clinical considerations for accurate assessment when grief presents atypically

Take a look: https://harborlondon.com/grieving-between-borders-cultural-dissonance-shapes-bereavement-for-chinese-arab-people-abroad/

03/02/2026

Tonight marks Lailat al-Bara’ah – the Night of Forgiveness.

Observed by many around the world, it is a moment of spiritual reflection, prayer, and renewal.

To all those observing, we wish you peace, clarity, and connection.

02/02/2026

Mental health assessment ought not just be a one-off exercise.

But too often, it can become a diagnosis written at intake, filed away, and sometimes seldom revisited.

In this month’s piece, Shahira Kamal shares how we approach this as something alive and evolving, shaped by therapy, relationships, and everything that unfolds during treatment.

Read the full piece here: https://harborlondon.com/where-mental-health-assessments-can-fall-short-using-care-plans-as-living-documents/

29/01/2026

What keeps mental health and addiction care safe when pressure rises?

It’s seldom just what happens in the therapy room.

In our new discussion with Clinical Operations Director, Paul Hornsey, we reflect on what clinical governance really looks like under pressure, drawing on experience across the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, and private healthcare.

He shares why clarity in decision-making matters, what families and referrers often don’t see behind the scenes, and how care systems either hold up or fall apart when risk escalates.

Read the full conversation here: https://harborlondon.com/clinical-governance-under-pressure-a-qa-with-paul-hornsey-clinical-operations-director/

Paul Hornsey, Clinical Operations Director at Harbor London, explains how clinical governance works under pressure, what safe, consistent care looks like behind the scenes, and what to look for when choosing a provider.