Who We Are
WFMH Board Candidates for Election
2025-2027
Anne Wallace Justus
Country: United Kingdom
Region: Europe
Nominator: Nasser Loza
Candidate 1000 word statement
Experience in Advocacy, Education, and Awareness
Since 2016, I have served as Senior Clinical Psychologist and Director at The Maadi Psychology Center’s branch in New Cairo, Egypt, leading a diverse team of mental health professionals in outpatient therapy, crisis care, and supervision. My specialties include trauma, personality disorders, mood disorder, expat mental health, ADHD, AI in mental health. I conduct individual and couples therapy. I do probono webinars to populations in need; the most recent has been a series of webinars on Layoff Trauma for recently laid off individuals. I dedicate part of my practice to pro-bono services for survivors of torture, particularly refugees from Sudan, Palestine, Syria, and Ethiopia, and individuals persecuted because of their sexual orientation.
I was honored to lead Egypt’s 2022–2023 World Mental Health Day campaign for WFMH. As President of the campaign, I coordinated a multilingual team of psychologists and psychiatrists to develop culturally relevant toolkits in Arabic and English. I recruited regional influencers and celebrities to share personal mental health stories, breaking stigma through social media outreach that reached thousands. We emphasized mental health as a universal right, aligning with WFMH’s global goals.
My educational contributions are equally significant. I was a Professor of Psychology at the American University in Cairo from 2007-2018. During that time, I taught undergraduate and graduate students and served as the Department Chair. I founded and directed the American University in Cairo’s Psychology Training Clinic following the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, offering free services to students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Over 7 years, I supervised more than 6,000 hours of psychotherapy delivered by graduate students. I have also designed and taught over 30 different psychology courses, authored public education articles, and appeared on TV, radio, and podcasts to discuss trauma, stigma, depression, and psychological safety.
Interest in Serving on the WFMH Board
I have dedicated much of my career to advancing mental health in low-resource and high-stigma environments. Serving on the WFMH Board would allow me to scale this work globally, particularly by strengthening the Federation’s visibility and partnerships in the MENA region. I am especially interested in promoting trauma-informed care, ethical digital interventions for the future of AI use in the field, and clinician well-being, as well as expanding culturally adaptive psychoeducation.
As WFMH Board Member, I will draw on my experience as a cross-cultural practitioner, program builder, and supervisor. I hope to contribute to global mental health policy development, multilingual resource dissemination, and inclusive leadership that bridges the Global North and South.
Other Boards and Affiliations
In addition to my leadership with WFMH’s Egypt campaign, I have served as a psychological advisor to several embassies in Cairo, AMIDEAST, AMERA, Building Blocks Therapy Centre (UK/Egypt), and Matter Branding. I evaluate psychology-related Fulbright grant applications for the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt and frequently consult on refugee trauma, sexual violence, and public mental health outreach. I am also the Conversation Psychology Supervisor and Psychological Consult for the AI company Yellow Dot out of London. This is notable as I want to be on the forefront of ethical usage of AI in mental health.
Current WFMH Membership and Contributions
I became affiliated with WFMH in 2022 through my leadership of Egypt’s World Mental Health Day campaign. This included developing a mental health toolkit, leading national awareness strategies, and coordinating international participation.
Although not yet a Board Member, I have already contributed meaningfully by increasing WFMH’s engagement across Egypt and the Arab region and elevating its visibility in public health media.
Intended Contributions to WFMH
If elected to the Board, I will focus my efforts in the following areas:
- Regional Expansion: Amplify WFMH’s impact in the Middle East and North Africa through outreach, translated resources, and partnerships with academic, governmental, and grassroots entities.
- Ethical Mental Health Tech: Leverage my role with Yellow Dot AI to integrate ethical frameworks and psychological safeguards into AI-based mental health tools.
- Clinician Well-being and Supervision: Draw from my extensive experience supervising early-career professionals and managing burnout in humanitarian contexts.
- Media and Messaging: Use my public outreach experience to shape culturally adaptive communication strategies that reduce stigma and increase mental health literacy.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Advocate for inclusive practices that prioritize underserved populations and culturally nuanced approaches.
Identity and Perspective
I identify as a clinical psychologist, educator, consultant, trauma therapist, NGO consultant, and family member of individuals with lived mental health experiences. These roles allow me to engage with the WFMH mission from both a professional and personal lens, with deep empathy for those navigating mental illness, displacement, and stigma.
Skills I Bring to the Board
- Trauma-informed and culturally grounded therapy and training
- Global clinical supervision and ethical consultation
- Program development and clinic leadership
- Public advocacy and psychoeducation in media
- Neuropsychological and clinical research
- Cross-disciplinary collaboration (e.g., with lawyers, artists, AI developers)
- AI mental health safeguards and red-flag systems
Availability for Meetings
I am fully available to attend online Board meetings, conference calls, and participate in asynchronous communication by email. I have maintained international consultancy roles for over a decade and am comfortable managing flexible, global collaboration. There are no anticipated barriers to my participation.
Conclusion
The WFMH is uniquely positioned to lead the global conversation on mental health equity, innovation, and dignity. I am eager to contribute my skills, leadership, and global perspective to further this mission. I believe in mental health not only as a clinical priority but as a human right—and I hope to help shape a world where that belief becomes reality.
Candidate additional statement if provided