When he was first released, he would remain in his bedroom not even interested in greeting people coming to visit him. However, following the intervention conducted by the YMCA counselor, he started to go out, meet people and engage in everyday activities. Mohammad received psychological and vocational support for three months. He first wanted to work in vehicle electrics, but changed his decision slightly when the vocational assessment done for him showed that he would do well in car mechanics and engineering. During the intervention, Mohammad also participated in ventilation activities where he was able to meet other people, interact and share experiences with them.

In parallel, the intervention also included supporting Mohammad’s family to improve means of communicating with their son and help him return to normal life outside the prison. Mohammed shared with us that the most helpful part of his counseling was being able to start communicating with his family and regaining the feeling of freedom.

His counselor said, “My experience with Mohammad was interesting and rich. It was only three months, but it was very rich.” After their work together, the biggest things that changed in Mohammad were his social life and his psychological well being. When they finished the planned sessions, Mohammad had come back to his normal life and became much better at eating, which was a good indicator of his psychological health. Mohammad shared that he advises everyone who comes out of prison to seek support through the YMCA.