From round-the-clock helplines to trauma-informed counseling and online support groups, here’s where to seek help when things feel overwhelming.
As news of regional conflict and global tensions floods our feeds, many UAE residents are experiencing a “silent heaviness”—that weight in your chest before you speak, following you into meetings, turning ordinary days into ones you have to push through.
If you catch yourself checking headlines every few minutes or feel a tightening in your chest with every notification, know that you are not alone.
Clinics and health authorities across the UAE have activated a range of dedicated, free, and confidential services to support residents during stressful times. Here’s where you can turn for help:
1. 800‑SAKINA
Launched by the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi (DoH), SAKINA—meaning “tranquility” in Arabic—serves as a primary resource providing immediate psychological first aid.
While based in Abu Dhabi, it provides vital mental health support across the UAE.
- Phone: 800‑725462 (800‑SAKINA)
- Availability: 24/7
- Languages: Arabic and English
- Best for: Immediate panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, acute stress, or when the news feels overwhelming
Callers speak with trained professionals in a confidential, non-judgmental environment. They can help stabilize acute emotional distress and guide you toward longer-term care if needed.
2. Medico Arabia
For experiences beyond everyday worry—such as body shock, recurring grief, or sudden panic—Medico Arabia offers free, trauma-informed mental health support 24/7 in Dubai.
Medico Arabia can be especially helpful if you find it easier to type out your feelings rather than speak them aloud.
- Phone: +971 56 900 5443 or +971 50 159 0070
- Availability: 24/7
- Languages: Multilingual support, including services for Arab and expat communities
- Best for: Trauma, grief, shock, survivor’s guilt, conflict-related anxiety, and panic attacks
Medico’s team can help you understand intense emotional reactions triggered by images, videos, or news headlines, guiding you through real-time coping tools.
3. Sage Clinics
For those who don’t require an emergency line but need a guided space to process current events, Sage Clinics offers free online psychological support groups across the UAE.
Their upcoming session is specifically designed for high school students.
“These dedicated groups focus on managing anxiety, supporting children through uncertainty, maintaining emotional regulation, and strengthening practical coping strategies during periods of heightened stress,” said Dr. Gurveen Ranger, clinical psychologist and director of operations at Sage Clinics.
She added that the initiative provides “timely, preventative psychological support at a population level,” offering structured spaces to process concerns and learn regulation skills “during a period when routines and a sense of predictability may feel disrupted.”
4. Human Relations Institute & Clinics (HRIC)
For those who don’t require a helpline but need a calm space to breathe, regulate, and gather their thoughts, HRIC Dubai offers free 30-minute regulation sessions designed to calm the nervous system, manage acute stress, and help individuals feel more grounded.
- Phone: +971 04 365 8498
- WhatsApp: +971 50 778 2785
- Format: Free 30-minute regulation sessions
- Best for: Acute stress, nervous system regulation, feeling overwhelmed, or needing a quiet space to process emotions
Note: This is not a helpline service.
Alternative healing options
Other supportive practices such as breathwork, grounding exercises, guided meditation, or mindfulness tools can also help when the mind feels overloaded. These are not a substitute for clinical care or therapy but can provide a gentle starting point for regulation.
Dubai-based holistic wellness platform Keyani Wellness is also offering a series of free online support sessions in collaboration with its practitioners in response to recent events.
The schedule includes calming activities such as community meditation, grounding exercises, and creative sessions like art therapy, all designed to help participants restore a sense of safety. To receive your free session link, contact +971 58 5870799.
When to reach out
Consider seeking support if you find yourself constantly checking updates and unable to switch off, struggling to complete daily tasks, or experiencing physical symptoms such as chest tightness, insomnia, headaches, nausea, or a sense of disconnect from your surroundings.
Needing support during times like these doesn’t mean you’re “not coping.” It simply means your nervous system is reacting naturally to uncertainty. Reach out for help in the way that feels safest and most manageable for you.
Please note: If you or someone you know is in immediate physical danger, call 999 (Police Emergency) or 998 (Medical Emergency), including for suicide-related crises.
