About this course

Learning Objectives

• Compare common Muslim worldviews to your own expectations about illness and wellness and courses of action.
• Identify existing misconceptions about Islam and Muslims that may influence your own beliefs and attitudes towards the Muslim population, and how these may impact your professional interactions.
• Identify common Muslim social norms and discuss how these social norms may impact your standard interactions and behaviors in the therapeutic setting.
• Describe common Muslim worldviews as it relates to perceptions of mental illness, attitudes towards various treatment options, and typical help-seeking behaviors.
• Describe tools that can be used to discuss religiosity and the role of spirituality for the Muslim client.

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Anisah Bagasra, Ph.D.

  Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Kennesaw State University

  Anisah Bagasra, Ph.D. from Saybrook University, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Kennesaw State University who specializes in behavioral health research in the Muslim American and African American faith communities. She teaches a wide range of psychology courses and mentors students engaged in undergraduate research with a focus on culturally competent research in minority communities. Specific research interests include Islamic Psychology, the impact of Islamophobia, teaching Death & Dying, and perceptions of mental illness. Her recent publications include four co-edited volumes, “Working with Muslim Clients in the Helping Professions”, and “The Changing Faces of Higher Education: From Boomers to Millennials” and ‘The Impact of HBCUs in the 21st Century’, and ‘Digital Narratives of Trauma among Immigrant and Refugee Women’ and numerous journal articles. She also conducts CE workshops in the area of religious and spiritual competencies for psychologists, conflict resolution, and community-based research. Dr. Bagasra has recently founded the Death, Dying & Bereavement Research Consortium to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary research within the field of Death & Dying.

Disclosure

References

• Bagasra, A. (2023). Religious interpretations of mental illness and help-seeking experiences among Muslim Americans: Implications for clinical practice. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 10(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000299
• Vieten, C., & Lukoff, D. (2022). Spiritual and religious competencies in psychology. American Psychologist, 77(1), 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000821
• Bagasra, A. & Mackinem, M. (2020). Working With Muslim Clients in the Helping Professions. Information Science Reference/IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0018-7
• Eltaiba, N. (2014). Counseling with Muslim Refugees: Building Rapport. Journal of Social Work Practice, 28(4), 397–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2013.875523
• Ahmed, S. & Amer, M. (2012). Counseling Muslims: Handbook of Mental Health Issues and Interventions. New York: Routledge.
• York Al-Karam, C. (2018). Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy : Uniting Faith and Professional Practice. Templeton Press.
• Tanhan, A., & Young, J. S. (2022). Muslims and Mental Health Services: A Concept Map and a Theoretical Framework. Journal of religion and health, 61(1), 23–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01324-4