Islamophobia and the therapeutic dialogue: Some reflections

In the atmosphere of fear and controversy that surrounds Muslims at this moment in time it is hardly surprising that they feel unable to voice their fears and concerns openly. Added to this is the fact that Muslims already underutilize mental health services (Patel et al., 2000 Patel, N, Bennett, E, Dennis, M, Dosanjh, N, Matitani, A, Miller, A and Nadirshaw, Z. 2000. Clinical Psychology: ‘Race’ and ‘Culture’: A training manual, Leicester: The British Psychological Society.  [Google Scholar]). In the counselling arena four distinct aspects of the counselling relationship are affected. First, the therapeutic alliance, second, the socio-political context in which counselling occurs, third, the awareness of personal characteristics and competencies that facilitate multicultural counselling and, finally, the training requirements of multicultural counsellors. This paper seeks to consider each of these aspects of the therapeutic encounter with regard to Muslim clients.     

The meaning of being a Muslim: An aftermath of the twin towers episode

The bombing of the twin towers on September 11th, 2001, invoked public outcry. As the Americans have tried slowly to come to terms with the annihilation of one of the utmost symbols of their dominance, at the same time Muslims all over the world have had to face their own twin disaster. The destruction of their current understanding of what it means to be a Muslim and the need to grieve as human beings for the tragic loss of human life, for which they are by implication responsible. This research depicts the journey of five individuals who sought counselling in an effort to come to terms with these phenomena. Discourse analysis of their conversations highlights their struggle. A number of common themes emerge: loss (both of life and of the current meaning of Islam), confusion, a need to be different from the perpetuators and, for some, a need to reflect on other injustices committed in the name of Islam. These themes are considered in the light of the theory of psychosocial transitions and bereavement theory.     

The relationship between integrative and Islamic counselling

Integrative counselling is a valuable tool. However, it only considers the client within a social and natural framework. Islamic counselling on the other hand, utilizes the major tenets of integrative counselling, but adds to them an added dimension. This is the relationship between the client and his/her creator. In this paper I aim to draw out areas of commonality between integrative and Islamic counselling and highlight the main difference between these two therapeutic approaches.