Therapy for Muslims

You have thought about seeking therapy, but have been unsure you would find a therapist who understands your values. Or maybe you have been to therapy, but experienced mixed results. Regardless, you think it could help, if you could feel sure that all of your values and experiences would be welcomed and honored as part of the healing process.

Perhaps you fear therapy will even be in conflict with your values. You don’t have to worry. You are welcome, and your needs are understood.

You have spiritual practices that ground you, or you are currently feeling shaky about your faith. Either way, you aren’t sure therapy is the answer. You exercise, you pray, you already do so many things for your health. Perhaps you may even feel shame for seeking therapy because you have the tools, you have been given blessings, and you are still struggling.

You have tools. You probably have already done some work toward self-improvement. But there are things you struggle with that you can’t share with anyone else, or find the proper support for. 

You are struggling with things like:

· Unhealthy family dynamics and expectations

· Feeling like you have weak faith because you are struggling

· Having difficulty moving through difficult emotions or past difficult experiences

Like all things in life, therapy is not an instant fix. It requires effort, patience, and trust. Trust both in yourself, your therapist, and your Creator, who is the ultimate source of health, healing and provision. 

Many Muslims find that although spiritual tools help, they need something more. They may also find that secular psychology and talk therapy alone are not enough to truly shift the real challenges they are facing. This is where Islamically-integrated therapy can help. 

I provide culturally- and spiritually-integrated therapy for Muslims of diverse backgrounds for whom faith is either a strength or a source of struggle. I identify with the challenges of being Muslim in the west, raising Muslim children, being a convert, and the strength, hope and purpose our tradition offers. I am also aware of the many cultural challenges and traumas that impact our community at large, and am sensitive to providing a safe space where you can address them privately.

Our spiritual tradition acknowledges the human struggle to manage adversity and the purpose of hardship to bring a believer closer to his or her Creator. Turning to God in hardship does not mean you have to struggle alone, and emotion is not a sign of weakness of faith.

True mental health integrates our whole well-being—physical, spiritual and emotional. Islamic psychology predates modern psychology and provides a framework that centers the heart/soul as the locus of healing. 

While therapy is not spiritual guidance and I am not religious scholar, I do integrate Islamic teachings and spiritual exercises into my work to the degree that clients are interested. I do not offer religious advice, however I will refer to others who are qualified to do so when appropriate. What I do offer is my own connection to God and my genuine compassion for other people. Anchored in my trust and service to Him, I provide you with tools that are integrated with, and not separate from your faith. 

I am also committed to ongoing education to continue providing the best service to my clients. My goal is to continue gaining tools and learning from other experts in the field to be able to offer truly integrated therapy from the Islamic tradition.