Ms. Fathimath Nahla is a Lecturer in the Department of Behavioural Sciences at the Faculty of Health Sciences, The Maldives National University. She has experience in training mental health practitioners, mainly training counsellors, partially psychology graduates and social workers both in the Maldives National University and in other private institutions. She started her career in teaching as a trained Middle School Teacher in 2002 and served as a teacher and leading teacher in primary schools before joining the Maldives National University in 2014.

Ms. Nahla has received her teaching Diploma in 2001, from Maldives College of Higher Education and a combined Bachelor of Arts Degree (including psychology & sociology) securing the Gold Medal in Psychology (2009) from the University of Mysore, India, in the 90th convocation. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2013) from the University of Adelaide (2013), Australia, and a Master of Art’s Degree (Social Policy) from Maldives National University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the National University of Malaysia and her broader research interest’s include adolescent health and substance use.

Ms. Nahla, at the national level, has served as a technical expert in the area of Behavioural Sciences for Maldives Allied Health Council on voluntary basis, from 2016 to 2019 and has later served as a member of Maldives Allied Health Council to represent allied health professional training institutions from 2019 to 2022. She has also worked with Ministry of Social and Family Development from Nov 2016 to Nov 2017 in providing psychosocial support for children under state care.