Post Graduate Diploma in Child Mental Health (CMH)

- Program Description
- Program Duration
- Curriculum and Teaching Faculty
- Guest Faculty
- Admission Requirements
- Tuition Fees
- Registration
- Contact Information
- Founders

Program Description

This is a mission driven, blended-learning, part-time program that aims to equip a multidisciplinary workforce dealing with children mental health in different sectors to manage mild/moderate mental health problems. It also equips them with the tools for early detection in order to make appropriate referrals for specialized services when needed. The program is a result of a unique cross-cultural collaboration. It is designed and directed by Saudi faculty to ensure it meets the local need and taught by world class faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.


Sectors identified as related to Child Mental Health

  • Education
  • Health/Allied health sciences
  • Social Services
  • Children and Family Law

Program Duration

The program consists of six taught courses, each course consists of:

  • Term1: Sep 2024-Dec 2024 (Two courses)
  • Term 2: Jan 2025-Mar 2025 (Tow courses)
  • Term 3: Apr 2025-Jun 2025 (Two courses + Final project)

Program Components

The program consists of six taught courses, each course consists of:

  • Eight recorded lectures
  • Eight hours of live discussion with faculty
  • 2-3 day in-person workshops led by teaching faculty visiting from Boston
  • Monthly seminars by local experts
  • Small scale project

Time commitment

  • On-line lectures will be available each week for self-directed study.
  • One hour of live (virtual) discussion each week led by teaching faculty for each course (hours will be scheduled in the afternoon/evening for the convenience of working students and US-based faculty)
  • 2-3 day workshops (twice for term 1 and 3).
  • Two hours evening seminar led by a local expert once per month.

Space and Equipment:

  • On-line portion of the program will be studied remotely.
  • Workshops will take place at Alfaisal University in Riyadh.
  • All students must have access to a personal computer and high-speed internet service.

Curriculum and Teaching Faculty

Introduction to Child Mental Health

Lamis S. Solaim PhD, CPsychol, AFBPsS.:
Founder and Executive Director of MGH/Alfaisal Child Mental Health Program. Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Lecturer (Part-Time) in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.


Wellness and Resilience in Children and their Communities

Edward K. Wang PsyD
Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Policy and Planning for the Chester M. Pierce, MD Division of Global Psychiatry, former Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.


Child and Adolescents Mental Health Assessment

Ellen Braaten, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Co-Director of the Clay Centre for Young Healthy Minds at MGH.


School Mental Health

Jeff Bostic, MD, EdD,
Affiliated Faculty with Harvard /Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was the Director of School Psychiatry from 1997-2016. Child Psychiatry Faculty at Georgetown University Hospital and consultant to local DC schools.


The Interface between Physical and Mental Health

Eric Hazen MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Director of the Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Associate Director of the MGH/McLean Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training Program.


Interventions in Child Mental Health: Collaborative Problem Solving

Stuart Ablon Ph.D.
Associate Professor and the Thomas G. Stemberg Endowed Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Founder and Director of Think: Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Ablon is author of the books Changeable, The School Discipline Fix, and Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem Solving.


Guest Faculty

Myron L. Belfer, MD, MPA:
Professor of Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School and former Senior Adviser in the Department of Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organization in Geneva where he led the Child Mental Health program from 2000 to 2005.


David H. Rubin, MD:
Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program and the Director of Postgraduate Education for Massachusetts General Hospital. He also serves as the Executive Director for the MGH Psychiatry Academy.


Gordon Harper, MD:
Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Child and adolescent psychiatrist, former Director of the Patient-Doctor curricula at Harvard Medical School and the recipient of the Award for Teaching Excellence from the Child Psychiatry Fellows at Children’s Hospital of Boston.


Anne Fishel PhD:
Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Family and Couples Therapy Program, and Director and Co-Founder of The Family Dinner Project in the MGH Psychiatry Academy.


Eugene Berisen MD:

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Executive Director of The Clay Centre for Young Healthy Minds. Senior Educator in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.


Gagan Joshi MD:
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Director of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Program in the Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinical and Research Program and Medical Director of the Bressler Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.


Admission requirement

To apply for a Diploma in Child Mental Health, please follow the steps outlined below

  1. A bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution accepted by Ministry of Education (MOE) in related field.
  2. A satisfactory scholastic average; a minimum grade average of "good" in the Bachelor degree.
  3. If the applicant comes from a country where English is not the official language adequate proficiency in English to do graduate work, as evidenced by
  4. IELTS Band score of at least 5.0
  5. Statement of purpose
  6. Two recommendation letters
  7. Two years of experience


Tuition Fees



Contact Information

For more information please contact Graduate Studies Office
Email: cmh@alfaisal.edu
UAN: 920 000570, 920 000 510 (Local)
Tel: +(966) 11 215 7777 (International)

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Deadline:30-May-2024

Founder's