Islam: Therapy, Spirituality & Politics 2026

A conference that centres a different way of being

All are welcome to this conference, which aims to offer therapists from our diverse communities an opportunity to reflect and dialogue on ancient and contemporary Islamic understandings of self, therapy, and well-being. Our worlds are structured by our imaginings of it, and this conference explores Islamic understandings of knowing, being, and health, that may invite a wider understanding of the field of mental health as a whole.

Exploring intersections between spirituality therapy and politics

This is also important within the context of today's political and geopolitical upheavals as we try to build therapeutic relationships with Muslim clients whose lives are structured by understandings of Islam. It is widely acknowledged that therapy is not neutral, and perhaps this is why Muslims in the Global North do not access standard therapeutic practice as often, as quickly or effectively as many other client groups.

Coming together

This event is a space for both Muslim therapists and their peers to reflect on the nuances of therapeutic work in the super-diverse Muslim community—a community that has often been subject to misunderstanding, suspicion, and surveillance. We will explore how Islam, Islamic Counselling, and Islamic Psychology, provide pathways to more culturally aligned and meaningful therapeutic experiences for Muslims. With keynote speakers, and practical examples of therapeutic work, we aim to provide valuable learning for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Join Us

Join us as we explore the vital role that therapy, spirituality, and activism play in nurturing resilience, well-being, and social justice amid current challenges. This is more than a conference—it is a gathering of hearts and minds committed to fostering deeper understanding and meaningful change in our field.

Choose your ticket price. Each ticket provides access to the LIVE event on Zoom & the conference Recording. Choose the fee that works for you: £25.00, £37.50, or £50.00.
CPD Certificate

After attending the LIVE conference, your CPD certificate will be emailed to you.

If you watch the event on catch-up, you can download your certificate from the Onlinevents CPD Library.

This conference will be recorded and the recordings are included in the live admission tickets. This will be useful for colleagues who are not able to attend the event live and also for those who attend the event live and want to watch it again.

This workshop will be hosted on the Zoom meeting platform where we will use our cameras and microphones to interact with each other as a group.

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All the colleagues at ONLINEVENTS and the presenters we collaborate with are committed to working in a manner consistent with the BACP Ethical Framework, which can be accessed on the link below. When registering for this event you are agreeing to be present and interact in a manner that is consistent with this Framework.

https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/ethical-framework-for-the-counselling-professions/

Sabnum Dharamsi is a psychotherapist, and writer. She co-founded the IslamicCounselling Model, developing an accredited training curriculum and practice based on sacred, timeless ways of seeing and being.

Stephen Abdullah Maynard has a history of working with diversity and counselling/psychotherapy. He became a counsellor in 1984. In 1990 he set up one of the first UK training programmes in transcultural counselling. In 1996 Sabnum Dharamsi and he developed the therapeutic model Islamic Counselling. Abdullah went on to set up The Lateef Project, which since 2010 has provided free Islamic counselling in the belief that people in England should access appropriate mental health care, free at the point of use. Through The Lateef Project, Abdullah is working towards the accessibility of appropriate faith-based and effective mental health care for Muslims in the UK.

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