The Enabling Center (EC) at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur was established with the aim of offering comprehensive mental health support to students, faculty, and staff. Led by its founding director, Prof. Dr. Samar Fahd, the center has achieved significant progress in promoting mental well-being by fostering a conductive campus environment. Key initiatives include developing appropriate infrastructure, providing counseling and therapy services, organizing awareness and outreach programs, implementing crisis intervention protocols, and forming collaborations with external organizations to promote flourishing and positivity. As a result, the center experienced increased utilization of its services, positive feedback from beneficiaries, and reduction in mental health stigma within the community of South Punjab. Overall, the Enabling Center has made a considerable positive impact on the university community and aims to continue expanding its services and advocating for mental health initiatives in the future.

Services Provided By Enabling Center

• Free Psychotherapy/ Counseling Sessions (Individual/Group):

Enabling center is providing psychotherapy and counseling services. The most essential technique may use as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). It provides a set of skills that enables individual to be aware of thoughts and emotions. It provides opportunity to individual to identify the situations, thoughts and behaviors that influence on emotions. It makes possible to improve feelings by changing dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors. The process of CBT skill acquisition and homework assignments are a part of the talk therapies.

• Free Physiotherapy Sessions

Enabling Center also facilitates the individuals with reported somatic symptoms including headache, nausea, muscle tension, numbness, muscle spasm by physiotherapy techniques as soft tissue mobilization (kneading, rolling, pinch grip etc.), muscular stretching, neck isometrics, cervical traction and etc.,

• Certified Professional Courses

Enabling center is offering certified professional courses for students and faculty. Courses include Cognitive behavior therapy for depression, anxiety and general counseling courses. The courses aim to establish semi-skilled workforce in the society.

• Career & Personality Assessment Test

The Directorate of Enabling Centre has proudly initiated Career & Personality Assessment Test (CPAT) to assess the essential skills related to career choice according to the personality traits for all the students of IUB. This is the first initiative in Pakistan taken by the Enabling Centre-IUB in public sector universities.