Identified in 2008 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a country in need of ‘intense support’ to strengthen mental health services, Jordan was the first country chosen by WHO to implement its Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) (WHO, 2022). Since then, mental health has been integrated into Jordan’s three main health policies – the National Strategic Health Plan, the Health Sector Reform, and the National Strategy for Health Sector in Jordan – and has taken centre stage in the National Mental Health and Substance Use Action Plan (WHO, 2020).

However, despite strong commitment from the government and mental health professionals, access to services remains extremely limited. This is partly due to the small number of primary health care clinics providing mental health care, partly the sheer magnitude of need given Jordan’s population, which includes a large number of Palestinian and Syrian refugees who have experienced conflict and protracted displacement, and partly due to the cultural stigma that surrounds mental ill health in countries throughout the Middle East (International Medical Corps (IMC), 2017; Dmour et al., 2020; WHO, 2020).