Do Muslims always need Muslim therapists?
(about the type of language on this page: plain language)
The short answer is: No.
The slightly longer answer is:
- It is helpful if psychotherapists understand what being Muslim means.
- It is helpful if those affected understand what psychotherapy means.
So we should establish an exchange.
For some situations, a Muslim therapist is useful and important.
In most cases, a psychotherapist can be chosen regardless of religion.
Finding a counsellor
Are you simply looking for a counsellor?
There is a special page for this: Find a therapist.
But don't be too quick, it's better to plan your search.
The following sections should help.
What does it mean to be a Muslim?
Being human
In therapy, Muslims, just like people of other religions or beliefs, are above all one thing: human beings.
It is part of being human that we are children of our parents.
We are sisters, brothers or parents ourselves.
All people are members of a community, a society.
We fulfill different roles, in the family, at school or at work.
Having different beliefs
And we have different beliefs.
The importance of religion is always there.
Some people say that they have no religion.
Then that is their conviction. Some defend such a conviction just like a religious confession.
How exactly these different things are important to us is different for every person.
Equal in being human
But all of this affects every person.
Psychotherapists have learnt this.
They have learnt that every person is different.
They have learnt that everyone should be treated equally well.
All psychotherapists with a recognised qualification know this.
Inequality in treatment
People around the world are not treated equally.
There is racism.
We have information from Muslim patients that some therapists are not sensitive.
Some Muslim patients have also experienced prejudice and racism in therapy.
This is not allowed in therapy.
Sometimes it happens unintentionally, in which case the therapist needs help.
In Islam, there is a principle from a hadith:
Once when the Messenger of Allah was sitting with his companions, he inculcated in each of them, "Help your brother - whether he is right or wrong." The companions looked at him in amazement and said: "O Messenger of Allah, we understand if we should help him when he is right. But how can we help him if he is wrong?" The Prophet replied: "By preventing him from committing injustice."
https://www.hausdesislam.de/blog/grundlagen-der-geschwisterlichkeit/ (GERMAN)
Racism in therapy
In order to develop special sensitivity for Muslim patients for German-speaking therapists, there is a course for psychotherapists on dealing with Muslim patients.
MuPa certificate
An IASE online training course on dealing with Muslim patients in psychotherapy
As a Muslim, ask whether the therapist has this certificate.
Many people don't know this, but can still deal well with Muslim patients.
What is important for psychotherapy?
To understand
What is psychotherapy?
How does psychotherapy work?
Do psychotherapists need to understand what it means to be Muslim?
How do I find a therapy place?
Who or what is MuT - Muslimische-Therapeuten.de
History of MuT
There was an initiative by the IASE e.V. association to develop a therapist search for Muslim therapists. The domain was linked to https://iase-ev.de but the project was not realised as it was intended.
The domain https://muslimische-therapeuten.de remained linked on the homepage but was no longer registered.
On 24 July 2024, Daniel Germer ( https://mentalitea.com ) registered the domain name and has been developing a plan for its use ever since.
Present day
This site is in constant development.
The project is run on a voluntary basis.
Therefore, this development is sometimes slow. - Are you interested in helping? Contact us
Vision for the future
Muslimische-Therapeuten.de leads to improved care for all patients.
Further articles on the Internet
The topic of "Muslims in psychotherapy" is a special one.
A lot has been written about it.
If you want to read more.
All articles are free of charge.
Please check for yourself and report any errors you find here.
Psychotherapy is a relatively new phenomenon for the Western world.
Wikipedia article: History of psychotherapy
Psychological and mental ailments, physical complaints and social problems can be viewed holistically.
Wikipedia article: Medicine in the medieval Islamic world
Wikipedia article: Biopsychosocial model
Articles accessible free of charge
In German language
Therapy for Muslims
https://www.ndr.de/kultur/sendungen/freitagsforum/Therapie-fuer-Muslime,freitagsforum756.html
Psychotherapy for Muslims - hardly any appropriate offers
https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/psychotherapie-fuer-muslime-100.html
For a better understanding: Islam-integrated psychotherapy
Racism in psychotherapy