Our Purpose
The Institute for Muslim Mental Health is committed to optimizing the Muslim community’s emotional health and well being by mobilizing a network of mental health professionals to ensure all American Muslims have access to high-quality resources.
Our model is to train and mobilize mental health professionals as well as generate scholarly research and knowledge to better serve the community.
DONATE
This Ramadan, make a gift to support Muslim mental health professionals.
The state-issued shelter-in-place and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to many feeling anxious and depressed. The need for mental health professionals has never been more urgent and needed.
We are committed to optimizing the Muslim community's emotional health and well being by mobilizing a network of mental health professionals to ensure all American Muslims have access to high-quality resources. We can’t achieve this without YOUR generous support!
Support mental health professionals care for the community by making a contribution today.
Our Services
Research
Members of our organization have consulted and developed educational material for the Nathan Kline Research Institute, the National Alliance for Mental Health, the Islamic Society of North America, Lutheran Medical Center, Islamic Networks Group, and the Muslim Consultative Network.
Resource Development
Participate in monthly Work In Progress meetings to learn about research and design methods in MMH
Training
We have developed courses and models to train Imams, Islamic chaplains, and community leaders to recognize severe mental illness, refer to appropriate professionals, and offer basic supportive counseling.
Networking
Access to member interest groups to facilitate interaction between various professionals nationwide in the same field.
Professional Development
In collaboration with Yale School of Medicine, we are offering an online cultural competency program that offers 2.0 hours of continuing medical education credits.
Education
The Institute for Muslim Mental Health proudly hosts a two-part webinar series in which scholars share their expertise with community members and mental health professionals, respectively.
Our Impact
News
June 6th, 2020
The Institute for Muslim Mental Health (IMMH) unequivocally denounces the systemic racism, anti-Black violence, and structural inequalities that have been embedded into the fabric of our nation since its founding....
Blog
Ramadan in the Time of Corona: An Opportunity to Heal the Healer
It has been quite a month. A month since a microscopic force turned our worlds upside down. Thanks to Zoom meetups, memes, and attempting to homeschool four kids, I am relatively stable emotionally. But there are moments the emotions start to overflow and I get overwhelmed with anxious thoughts or become overcome with grief. I know I’m not the only one. Besides being mental health professionals, we have other roles too, as parents, children, in-laws, siblings and friends. And with these various roles come a plethora of responsibilities. Sometimes it feels like we have to hold it together to keep everyone else from falling apart. And so, I wanted to check in with YOU, my fellow healers — when was the last time someone asked, “how are you doing today?”
Exploring the Darkness: Self-Harm and Drug Use in Muslim Youth
Stigma surrounding mental health is something that every community deals with, even in this current day and age. These stigmas are even more pronounced in traditional religious communities where mental illness gets chalked up to supernatural entities. As a result, many individuals in Muslim communities, especially the youth, do not get the attention they need in order to properly and safely tackle mental health issues. Two issues that are relevant in the lives of many Muslim youth today are self-harm and substance abuse. These two issues, already a serious global health and medical problem affecting people of many backgrounds, are highly stigmatized within Muslim populations. This leads to a lack of self-reporting and subsequently, a lack of treatment for those harming themselves physically or through repeated drug use.
Mapping Muslim Mental Health Research Globally
The global Muslim community continues to grow. By 2030, the Muslim population is expected to reach 2.2 billion of the world’s population. The gap in mental health care services is seen across communities, and a major part of the challenge is how to deliver culturally relevant care. For many Muslims, integrating spirituality and religious tradition is an integral part of maintaining emotional health. As such, limited but emerging Muslim mental health (MMH) literature is beginning to describe the emotional health needs and models of managing mental health care issues.
Get Involved
We need YOUR help to help achieve our vision.
There are several ways to get involved and support the work of the Institute for Muslim Mental Health.
1) Professionals - Become a Member
2) Become a Champion - Donate and Support our Institute's work
3) Volunteer & Intern - We have several projects and programs for volunteers and interns to assist with, reach out to us to learn more!
Find a Therapist
If you are feeling disappointed, anxious, and/or worried about the current political climate in the U.S., then this may be a normal (and healthy) reaction. With time, perseverance, and positive action, things should get better.
This directory is a very useful tool to help people find a counselor, therapist, psychologist, and/or psychiatrist throughout North America.