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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Families? |
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| bmoremuslimah |
| 02/09/03 at 19:17:13 |
| [slm] I just achieved my Master's in Counseling Psychology and am eager to begin counseling. But I realized, as a muslimah, that there aren't too many of us therapists (or Psychologists for that matter) who are Muslim, especially in my area of Maryland. I need to find out if there is a need and/or demand for counseling within the Muslim community and, if so, what kind of counseling could I gear my practice towards? Couples? Families? Marriages? Trauma victims? Cultural diversity? Also, I have no intention of stepping on any toes as far as religious counseling from the Imam, but would that be appropriate to incorporate some of the faith in with counseling, especially since I am trying to specifically target fellow Muslims? :-[ I need feedback, so any type of ideas, comments, and/or expertise would be helpful. [wlm] :-) |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| Abu_Sashimi |
| 02/09/03 at 20:50:14 |
| [slm] Mabrook! Congratulations on your recent achievement! :) That's a wonderful thing to see more Muslims in the counseling and social service fields. I think we need more Muslim professionals in this area and from other professions to have a concern about the daily social issues that face Muslims everyday, especially here in this country. I'm no expert at all in this field, but I've only had ideas about different areas where Muslim counselors would prove beneficial In Sha Allah. I live in NYC, and in the heart of the urban ghetto you will find Muslims from all background, and history. There are some Muslims who reverted in prison and are now trying to start a new life. It's quite sad, but often these Muslims may not get the help they need because of their background. Perhaps targetting these individuals would help. Also in NYC, there is a brother by the name of Abdus Salam Musa who is a part of ICNA Helping Hand. He's a social worker who's done a lot of work for Muslims and non-Muslims. He is part of the Muslim Women's Health Network in Queens, NY where they have a shelter for homeless Muslim women (yes, they exist) and victims of domestic violence, in addition to providing help and couseling to Muslim women. Perhaps you can help them in some way In Sha Allah. But I think wherever you go, and to whoever you decide to offer your service to, In Sha Allah your efforts will be beneficial for Muslims everywhere. It sill give them, at least an alternative to other counselors and social workers who may not be as sensitive to the issues faced by Muslims in the US. With regards to "stepping on any Imam's toes", first of all, in my honest opinion there are not that many Imams out there, in the sense of a community leader as well as the one who leads the prayers. It's unfortunate, but that's how it is. Ideally the Masajid, in addition to providing a place for congregational prayer should also be a social welfare center for the community that it's a part of (In Sha Allah). Today it has become nothing more than a large prayer hall and nothing more, and only open for the congregation times. Those million dollars used to add an extra wing to the Masjid could've been better invested for setting up some type of social welfare center, at least for Muslims. I'm sorry for venting, but it's just sad to see how things are today for the Muslims. We sympathize for all the Muslims around the world, but often times we forget our own next door neighbor who may not have enough to eat. And how can we be true Muslims if we are well fed, but our neighbors are not. In Sha Allah, may Allah help guide you in your decision and reward you for the much needed help that you will bring to the Muslim community. Amin. [wlm] Abu Sashimi |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| Ruqayyah |
| 02/10/03 at 23:32:40 |
| [slm] :-*Mashallah!! that is wonderful! I think there is absolutely a need for muslim counselors in this country. we as muslims have a lot of problems but no one to talk to about them. i always thought it would be hard to talk to a professional about your problems b/c you'd have to explain what it means to be muslim on top of whatever your problem is. we were just talking about this at our last halaqa about the need for pre marital counseling especially kinda like they do in the Catholic religion. that way you know what you're getting into. this has totally inspired me! :-[ inshallah maybe i could get a degree in counseling....how much schooling does that require exactly? ;D [wlm] ruqayyah |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| sister2sister |
| 02/12/03 at 04:45:28 |
| Salaam and mabrook!!!! ;D on your big acheivement. I think there is a big need for muslim psychologist in the muslim world!! As for the kind of counselling, I think all of the above especially in countries like America. Would you also consider on-line help too ??? I pray Allah makes your dreams a reality. YSII :-) |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| salaampeaceshalom |
| 02/12/03 at 04:50:55 |
| [slm] Sis thats so great!! Mash'Allaah, congrats!! This is so cool, now I kw some1 else! I'm currently doing a postgrad for counselling, and insh'Allaah will do my masters soon. I honestly believe there is a huge demand for muslim counsellors. I'm currently doing voluntary work for a muslim helpline and you wont believe what type of calls we get, it's really shocking and amazing, mash'Allaah, and a lot of clients do ask for the islamic perspective on things. Sis, this is really good. I'd say to you whatever you have an interest in doing or you personally feel there is a big demand for, then go into that. I agree with the bro about the brothers in prison, and from working at the helpline, there's a lot of issues in the muslim community regarding drugs, homosexuality, all sorts of abuse, pre-marital relationships. You choose. My dream is to work with people who have mental health issues and also I really want to work in countries like Palestine and help ppl deal with trauma etc. Sorry I kw this is long! The thing is it's really hard to know what Islaam says about certain issues. I've acutually found a course in Malaysia that is a masters in clinical and counselling psych, and it offers western and islamic viewpoints. Insh'Allaah I'll be able to go there, the hardest part possibly will be convincing my parents! Insh'Allaah you'll have great success at whatever you choose to do. Pls keep in touch/keep us updated, it was really good to read a post like yours. [wlm] |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| se7en |
| 02/12/03 at 17:58:45 |
| as salaamu alaykum, mashaAllah mabrook sis :) I think our youth are getting really messed up and it's an area we need a lot of focus on. It's also an area many imam's turn a blind eye to, the consequences of which we will not even fully understand until 30 or 40 years from now. I was actually speaking to our msa liaison at my uni, who is an african american male, who was very active in the social justice scene in college.. and we had this really interesting discussion after he remarked on the obvious lack of active men in our msa [*sigh*].. he said that there is a seriously striking similarity between african american men and muslim men of late, both a disenfranchised minority that are being kept by the system from being able to live fully as men - protectors and maintainers of their families, capable of preserving their honor and dignity.. and it's these issues that prevent men from being as willing to join activities and step up and represent. it gave me some things to think about in terms of how deep some of these scars are (it's not just that bro's are bums :P) and really has made me more careful in my criticism of the brothers. anyway, in the dawn of an impending war and with an inevitably stronger wave of harassment and discrimination to come soon, we will have many young muslim men and women scarred and with a lot of new unresolved issues, along with the ever constant issues of image, identity, family problems, abuse, etc.. so my first priority would be the youth.. as a psych major myself it's a field I hope to be able to bring some benefit to as well, inshaAllah. but for sure, our community needs everything, so inshaAllah you'll be of benefit with whatever avenue you choose to pursue. wasalaamu alaykum |
| 02/12/03 at 18:01:55 |
| se7en |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| ltcorpest2 |
| 02/12/03 at 18:40:26 |
| EDITED BY ADMIN |
| 02/13/03 at 09:21:43 |
| bhaloo |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| Kathy |
| 02/13/03 at 22:16:24 |
| [slm] I think it is wonderful that you may be able to help Muslims out, as many of us could use someone to help us over the bumps in life. Recently a friend of mine had a mental breakdown..and yoi!... them people (psychs) are so lost in their dunyia... who would want advice from them? On a side note, regarding marriage counseling... i wonder how many Brothers would listen and accept advice from a Muslimah? |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| Barr |
| 02/14/03 at 11:46:06 |
| Salam! MashaALlah.. congratulations :) InshaALlah.. U will be a valuable asset to the ummah. I'd love to pursue my studies, as U have done... maybe embark on extensive and intensive research on families, inshaALlah :) Anyways... just wanna drop a line.. you may want to get in touch with other fellow Muslim psychologists, counsellors, psychiatrists at MuslimMentalHealth@yahoogroups.com . We do have some discussions on healing and therapy, incorporating with an Islamic understanding, inshaALlah. click here => http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MuslimMentalHealth/ All the best, sis :) Wassalam |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| Tesseract |
| 02/14/03 at 19:38:41 |
| Assalamu 'alaikum wa Rahmatullah, Congratulations on ur achievement. I think domestic violence is one particular area which needs focussing. Here is something that I recieved in my e-mail. Perhaps, u can help. Assalamu alaikum wa rahmat ALLAH. I am starting an organization to help women in the Muslim community who are in domestic violence situations. SafePlace offers free training to volunteers and our shaikh has also agreed to give additional training on how to counsel Muslim families. If you are interested please call me at 356-1513. I am particularly interested in finding a diverse group with diverse skills. Particularly women who speak languages such as Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Turkish, Ethiopian, etc. are much in need. The time required is mainly during the training, after that, the time commitment is minimal. Domestic violence is something that can affect anyone. It does not affect only one socio-economic group, race, religion, or background and it is NOT acceptable in Islam. Please pass this information on to anyone you think may be interested. Jazakum ALLAH Khair, Yasmin H. Turk Family Advocate SafePlace 512-356-1513 (direct line) yturk@austin-safeplace.org [url]http://www.austin-safeplace.org[/url] "Fear not the path of truth for the lack of people walking on it" ----- For local contact information, please call or e-mail Sr. Yasmin Turk (she works for SafePlace, a shelter for abused women & children here in Austin): 512-356-1513, yturk@austin-safeplce.org (WORK); onemuslimah@juno.com (HOME) |
| Re: Therapy for Muslims? Sisters? Couples? Famili |
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| jannah |
| 02/15/03 at 01:01:24 |
| [wlm] Yasmin Turk!!! wow I haven't heard from her in ages. what a great thing to start ma'shallah. We definitely have a great need in our communities for family and social service institutions. |
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