Latifah bin Othman bin Ibrahim Al-Shaalan has been a member of the Shoura Council since Jan. 15, 2013. Before becoming a Council member, she was a faculty member of the psychology department at Princess Noura bin Abdulrahman University. 

She advanced from lecturer to assistant professor, then to associate professor. Al-Shaalan specialized in psychological counseling and mental health. 

She attained a Ph.D. in psychology with her research into the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in the reduction of work pressure, a master of science in health psychology with her research titled “The Role of Anger in Cancer and Heart Disease” from the University of Surrey in the UK, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from King Saud University in Riyadh. 

Al-Shaalan’s work has been published in a number of journals, including “Methods of Care for Children Living in Orphanages in Saudi Arabia (an exploratory field study)” in the Journal of International Education Research, and “Chronic Back Pain, Anxiety, and Depression: A case study of five female Saudi patients” in the Egyptian Journal of Psychological Studies.

Discussing the new law against harassment, Al-Shaalan said on social media: “The anti-harassment law approved today is a very important addition to the history of the Kingdom’s law and regulations, which fills a large legislative vacuum. It is a deterrent law compared with a number of other laws in other countries.” 

She had proposed a number of additional articles on the law on the protection of witnesses and of the identity of those who report harassment, the provision of social and psychological support to the victims of harassment, and raising awareness of the provisions of the law. 

“Anyone who witnesses an instance of harassment should be required by law to report it,” she said.