Abu Dhabi mental health network teams up with speech therapy clinic to tackle digital wellbeing

Two Abu Dhabi healthcare organizations are joining forces to address a growing concern for parents and clinicians across the region: the impact of digital technology on children's mental health and development.

SAKINA, the mental health network run by SEHA (a subsidiary of PureHealth, the Middle East's largest healthcare group), has signed a memorandum of understanding with SpeechCare Centre, a specialist in speech therapy and neurodevelopmental care. The agreement focuses on building evidence-based clinical frameworks for SAKINA's Digital Wellbeing Centre in Abu Dhabi.

The partnership reflects a broader push in the UAE to move beyond reactive healthcare and build preventive, research-led models that address emerging health challenges before they become crises.

How does it work?

Under the agreement, the two organizations will work together on several fronts:

• Designing research protocols specifically focused on digital behaviors and their effects on wellbeing
• Developing clinical frameworks that give practitioners clear tools for assessment, referral, and follow-up
• Creating training programs and certifications to help professionals implement those frameworks
• Adapting everything to fit the cultural context of the UAE community

The clinical frameworks will give SAKINA's Digital Wellbeing Centre a structured, consistent approach to measuring and responding to digital wellbeing issues, particularly in children.

"Digital wellbeing is one of the most significant challenges and opportunities in contemporary mental health," said Dr. Zain Ali Al Yafai, CEO of SAKINA. "We are developing research-led clinical frameworks that translate knowledge into practical care to support children and families in a healthier, more balanced digital environment."

Why does it matter?

Screen time and digital behavior have moved from a parenting debate to a clinical concern. Research consistently links excessive or unstructured screen use in children to delays in language development, attention difficulties, and mental health problems. Yet most healthcare systems still lack standardized tools to assess and respond to these issues.

That's the gap this partnership is trying to close. By combining SpeechCare's expertise in communication and neurodevelopment with SAKINA's mental health infrastructure, the two organizations are trying to build something clinicians can actually use day to day.

Farah Al Qaissieh, CEO of SpeechCare Abu Dhabi, framed it in straightforward terms: "We aim to strengthen scientific research, build professional capacity and help ensure every child has a genuine opportunity to succeed in their communication journey."

The context

Abu Dhabi has made healthcare integration a policy priority in recent years, pushing for models that connect research, clinical practice, and community health rather than treating them as separate tracks. This partnership fits that direction.

PureHealth, SAKINA's parent company, has been expanding its footprint across specialized care in the UAE. SpeechCare, meanwhile, works at the intersection of speech, language, and neurodevelopmental support, an area that increasingly overlaps with digital health concerns as more children present with communication delays linked to early and heavy device use.

The collaboration is also part of a wider regional conversation. Governments and health authorities across the Gulf are grappling with how to respond to rising rates of anxiety, attention disorders, and developmental delays in children, and many are starting to look at digital behavior as a contributing factor worth addressing clinically, not just in public awareness campaigns.