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CANADIAN MUSLIM MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE
*Organized by the MMAC U of T Student Chapter in collaboration with the U of T Department of Psychiatry* SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5TH 2016 To purchase tickets for the event please visit: canadianmuslimmentalhealthconference.eventbrite.ca A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Individuals of ALL faith backgrounds are encouraged to attend For more information about the conference and for conference updates: Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1811174995764759/ VOLUNTEER INFORMATION: We are looking for passionate,responsible and dedicated volunteers interested in muslim mental health for this event. If you are interested in volunteer please fill out the form below and we will get back to you! https://goo.gl/forms/oH0SNa4gQ7jvxkHm1 PROGRAM INFORMATION: The conference will begin with a light breakfast served at 8am followed by the formal program beginning at 9am sharp. Please see the detailed program below for more information. |
Event Schedule
Morning Sessions:
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Macleod Auditorium – Room 2158)
8:00 am - Registration and Tai Chi with Nada Ashkar
9:00 am - Keynote Lectures:
ISLAMIC INTEGRATIVE MODEL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR MUSLIM MENTAL HEALTH
Speaker: Hooman Keshawarvi (Khalil Center)
MENTAL ILLNESS/HEALTH IN ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE: A PROPOSED COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Speaker: Shaykh Bilal Ali Ansari (Darul Qasim)
10:25am - Keynote Lecture:
MENTAL HEALTH AND RELIGIOSITY: IS RELIGIOSITY THE CURE FOR ALL MENTAL ILLNESSES?
Speaker: Dr. Marwa Azab (California State University)
11:30 am - Chelby Marie Daigle - Lived Experience Speaker
11:50 am - Ayan Yusuf - Lived Experience Speaker
12:20 pm- Movie Screening – VEIL OF SILENCE
with Rabia Toor
Lunch, poster presentations and booths
1:00 pm - Dhuhr prayer
Afternoon Parallel Sessions:
MEDICAL/MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Room 2172)
1:30-2:20 - The 5 W's to Accessing Mental Health Resources" - Berak Hussain
2:30-3:20 - The National Mental Health Model of the Aga Khan Health Board
for Canada - Dr. Muhammad Mamdani and Dr. Ayaz Kurji
3:30-4:20 - Embracing Our Difference: Discussing Intersecting Oppressions,
Inclusivity and Mental Health - Namarig Ahmed (RN)
4:30-5:20 - Medications in the Context of Mental Health - Dr. Arif Syed
5:20-6:10 - Exploring Cognitive Impairment - Dr. Raza Naqvi
SPIRITUALITY AND MENTAL HEATLH
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Room 2170)
1:30-2:20 - Spirituality and Mental Illness - Imam Habeeb Ali and Imam Slimi
2:30-3:20 - Coping with Mental Illness- Chaplain Ayman Al-Taher and Asma Ali
3:30-4:20 - Strength Based Resilience (SBR) - The Importance of Character
Strengths in the Context of Islamic Thought and Practice –
Dr. Tayyab Rashid
4:30-5:20 - Introduction to Mindfulness Practice in the context of Islam –
Dr. Yusra Ahmad and Zainib Abdullah (SW)
5:20- 6:10 - Pastoral Care Models – Chaplain Omar Patel
GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Macleod Auditorium – Room 2158)
1:30-2:20 - Child and Adolescent Mental Health - The Influence of Internalized
Mental Illness and Islamophobia for Muslim Youth –
Dr. Javeed Sukhera
2:30-3:20 - Domestic Violence: Lived Experience Interview – Dr. Yusra Ahmad
and Samra Zafar
3:30-4:20 - Refugee Mental Health - Dr. Lisa Andermann
4:30-5:20 - Addictions - Dr. Ahmed Hassan
5:20-6:10 - Depression and Community Resilience – Heba Ragheb (SW)
and Chaplain and Ustadh Amjad Tarsin
Evening Program
Multifaith Center – Main Activity Hall Room 208 – Second Floor – University of Toronto
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm – Narratives of Pain (separate ticket)
Narratives of Pain:
Imagine Saturday Night Live combined with Alcoholics Anonymous. This is what a Narratives event is like. Narratives of Pain is a safe space for Muslim storytellers and community engagement, including a session where anyone has the opportunity to share his or her feelings in front of an audience. The stories range from song, to spoken word, to physical artwork. Through this storytelling and community atmosphere, we create an environment of healing and recovery.
Keynote Speaker Biographies
Title: ISLAMIC INTEGRATIVE MODEL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR MUSLIM MENTAL HEALTH
by Hooman Keshavarzi MA, LCPC joining us from the Khalil Center.
Hooman Keshavarzi is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, holds a Masters of Clinical Psychology and a Bachelors of Science – specialist psychology track/minor in Islamic Studies. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Argosy University Chicago, American Islamic College, Hartford Seminary, instructor of psychology at Islamic Online University and founder/director of Khalil Center – a community spiritual & mental wellness center. He is also a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding at the Global Health Center, conducting research on topics related to Muslims and Mental Health. Hooman Keshavarzi is a national public speaker and trainer currently serving as a Clinical supervisor of graduate students of clinical psychology at the Village of Hoffman Estates (DHS). He also delivers seminars on specialized topics around multiculturalism and psychology.
Hooman Keshavarzi has also authored numerous published academic papers in recognized peer-reviewed journals on integrating Islamic spirituality into psychology. In addition to his academic training, Hooman Keshavarzi has studied Islamic theology both formally and informally. He is a student of Shaykh Muhammad Zakariya from Toronto, Canada, where he attended his hadith and spiritual discourses for a number of years. After moving to Chicago, he studied informally with Shaykh Azeemuddin Ahmed. He did some coursework with Shaykh Amin Kholwadia in Islamic counseling and formally studied for a year at Darul Qasim. He then moved onto study at Darus Salam foundation, completing three years of Islamic education and where he is continuing his Islamic studies.
About Khalil Center:
Khalil Center is a social and spiritual community wellness center designed to address the widespread prevalence of social, psychological, familial, relational and spiritual issues of communities. Khalil Center’s approach emphasizes: psychological reconstruction, behavioral reformation and spiritual elevation. Khalil Center utilizes faith-based approaches rooted in Islamic theological concepts while integrating the science of psychology towards addressing psychological, spiritual and communal health.
Keynote Speaker Biographies
Title: MENTAL ILLNESS/HEALTH IN ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE: A PROPOSED COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
by Mawlana Bilal Ali Ansari, Chair Department of Hadith - Darul Qasim
Mawlana Bilal Ali Ansari: received his undergraduate education at the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL in Computer Engineering and received his Bachelors diploma from National-Louis University in Lisle, IL in the field of Applied Behavioral Sciences. His Islamic education began at Jāmiʿat al-Ḥasanayn in Faisalabad, Pakistan, a pioneering seminary founded by the renowned orator and scholar, Mawlana Tariq Jameel, where he studied the foundational Islamic sciences with erudite scholars like Mawlana ʿUbayd Allāh, Shaykh Ramzī al-Ḥabīb al-Tūnisī, and Mufti Aḥmad ʿAlī.
Mawlana Bilal completed his formal dars niẓāmī studies (equivalent Masters degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies) at the Jāmiʿat Dār al-ʿUlūm in Karachi. Mawlana Bilal subsequently enrolled in a specialization course in Hadith and studied under ‘Allamah Dr. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm al-Nuʿmānī (al-Chishtī).
Mawlana Bilal has ijāzahs in hadith from the most senior generation of hadith masters in Pakistan. He has since continued his studies in various fields, including discursive theology (kalām), Islamic jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh), and Islamic philosophy under Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia at Darul Qasim. His research interests include Hadith, Ḥanafī law, Education and curriculum development, Mental Health, and Islamic Bioethics.
Keynote Speaker Biographies
Title: NEUROSCIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THE CONTEXT OF ISLAM
Dr. Marwa Azab
Lecturer and Adjunct Professor at California State University, Long Beach & Lecturer at UC Irvine, public speaker and individual/group life coach.
Dr. Azab is currently teaching for the Psychology and Human Development department at Cal State University, Long Beach. She has also taught for the Biology department at UCI after finishing her doctorate in Neuroscience from there. She studied psychology for many years and completed masters in Counseling from Toronto, Canada. After many years of studying human behavior from a psychological perspective, she realized that there were blind spots that needed to be satiated from complementary fields. Thus, she completed a PhD in Biological Sciences with emphasis on Neurobiology & Behavior.
In addition to lecturing at CSULB, she is a sought after international public speaker who gets invited to speak on a variety of topics, including two TEDx talks. Check out her most recent TEDx talk “The Logical Vs. The Reflexive Brain: Only One Wins”. She has blogged for the HuffingtonPost and elephant Journal. You can connect with her on her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DrMarwaAzab.
Speaker Biographies
Zainib Abdullah BSc. MSW is a Mental Health Counsellor currently working at the Urgent Care Clinic of Toronto Western Hospital. She has her Masters in Social Work from the University of Toronto and has been working and volunteering in the mental health field over the past 8 years. Her practice approach is client centred and trauma informed, valuing diversity and including various therapeutic approaches with a special interest and focus on Mindfulness, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Sensorimotor and Somatic Psychotherapy. She is currently involved in research and community development projects that aim to support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of individuals within the Canadian Muslim and recent refugee community.
Dr. Yusra Ahmad completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago. She then went on to obtain her MD from the University of Toronto where she also completed a residency in psychiatry. Yusra currently works at the Inner City Family Health Team, MATCH team and the Regent Park Community Health Centre. She is affiliated with St. Michael's Hospital and Women's College Hospital. She is a Clinical Lecturer in the Division of Equity, Gender & Population in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Yusra has lived in 4 countries and speaks 5 languages. She is deeply interested in the intersection of social justice issues and mental healthcare.
Namarig Ahmed is a Registered Nurse who is currently pursuing her graduate studies at Ryerson University. Her professional experience spans mental health, chronic disease management, palliative care and Sexual Assault and Domestic care. In addition, Namarig has worked in Regent Park with the Muslim Community providing various programming for children, youth and mothers. Namarig currently works with Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) as a Nurse Coordinator, working with the homeless and marginalized populations. In this role, she works with the Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) program, coordinating care for the homeless and vulnerably housed individuals as they near end of life.
Asma Maryam Ali is a Canadian-educated therapist and educator. Asma is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), which describes a process by which Asma is currently completing additional requirements for the college to which she belongs, the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Asma is also a member of the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists (OACCPP) and she is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. Asma has been counselling individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, personality disorders, relationship and family disputes, grief and loss, physical impairments and further issues since 2012.
Imam Habeeb Ali is a member of the Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians and the Canadian Council of Imams. He is an honorary director for the Moeen Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Director of the GTA Faith Alliance and the Abraham Festival in Peterborough. Imam Habeeb presently serves as Community Development Manager at International Development and Relief Foundation and Federal Chaplain with Correctional Services of Canada.
Dr. Lisa Andermann's main areas of interest in research and teaching focus on cultural psychiatry. In addition to her work at the Mount Sinai Ethnocultural ACT team and Psychological Trauma Clinic, Dr. Lisa Andermann is a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (ICHA); and with the Northern Psychiatric Outreach Program (NPOP-C) providing outreach to remote communities on Baffin Island. She has been involved with the development of the first psychiatry residency training program in Ethiopia. Dr. Andermann recently co-edited a book entitled Refuge and Resilience: Promoting Resilience and Mental Health Among Refugees and Forced Migrants (Springer, 2014).
Nada Ashkar, BHum, R.Ac, is a Registered Acupuncturist, and a classically trained Taijiquan (Tai Chi), Qigong and meditation practitioner and instructor. She has practiced martial arts since she was 10 years old, various forms of meditation, and has trained in the classical Taoist internal and martial arts for over 10 years with Sifu Dylan Kirk of Spiritwind Internal Arts. Nada has a traditional Chinese medicine practice located in Toronto which services both men and women of varying ages and health concerns in seeking to realize their optimal state of health. Her passion is in using the traditional healing arts with an emphasis on mindfulness to support individuals in coming into physical and emotional balance to blossom into their full spiritual potential.
Chelby Marie Daigle was diagnosed with clinical depression at age 15 and has been publicly speaking about living with mental illness since her teens. She converted to Islam at 22 and since then has focused on public speaking within Muslim communities on the issue of depression and suicide. Her position as both an insider and outsider within Muslim communities has meant that she is often confided in by Muslims living with mental illness, many of whom feel marginalized within Muslim communities, even amongst some Muslim medical professionals. In her talk, she will explore her personal experience with depression and suicide, ways in which navigating Muslim communities alleviated and exacerbated her mental health issues, what she has learned over the last decade of supporting and working with Muslims living with mental illness and the fallout of Muslim suicides within her community.
Dr. Ahmed N. Hassan is an addiction psychiatrist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He completed his psychiatry residency, mood and anxiety fellowship and Addiction fellowship at the University of Toronto. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physician and Surgeon of Canada and a Diplomate of the American Board of psychiatry and Neurology. He completed a master of public health degree from Johns Hopkins School of public Health. He has a particular research interest in the bio-psycho-social aspect of addictions, improving the care for patients with concurrent disorders with a focus on patients with both opioid use disorder and Mood/Anxiety disorders.
Berak Hussain is the International Students Counsellor at the Health and Counselling Services at Carleton University. She has a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Educational Counselling from the University of Ottawa, and has been counselling students for 9 years now. At Health and Counselling Services, she helps students from all sorts of backgrounds through issues ranging from anxiety, depression, stress, culture shock, identity challenges, suicide, relationships issues and more. Berak has participated in many counselling- and community-related events, presenting on the topic of Islamic Counselling to local practitioners over the years, in the hopes of sharing common ideas on how to best support faith-based clients. Berak has also created a Facebook forum called "The Muslim Counsellor" to discuss and explore these issues.
Dr. Ayaz Kurji is a resident physician in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Prior to this, he obtained a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Life Sciences and Psychology, as well as a Doctor of Medicine degree, both from Queen’s University. From July 2013 to July 2016, Ayaz served as the National Director of Mental Health Programming on the Aga Khan Health Board for Canada and led the implementation of their first National Mental Health Strategy.
Dr. Muhammad Mamdani is the Founding Director of the Li Ka Shing Centre for Healthcare Analytics Research and Training (CHART) of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He is also a Professor at the University of Toronto and was named among Canada’s Top 40 under 40 in 2010. He has published over 350 research studies in leading medical journals and serves as the Chairperson of the Aga Khan Health Board for Canada.Dr. Mamdani obtained a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from the University of Michigan, a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Wayne State University, and a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University.
Dr. Raza M. Naqvi is the Geriatric Medicine Lead at Markham Stouffville Hospital and a part-time Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. He completed his medical school at Western University and residency and fellowship training at the University of Toronto. Dr. Naqvi completed a Masters in Bioethics from the University of Toronto and has published in international journals on topics related to cognitive impairment and assessment tools for multicultural populations. He also has ongoing research projects related to end of life care and elder abuse in immigrant populations.
Imam Omar Patel was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. At the tender age of 15, he developed an interest in studying the Arabic language and spent the next 3 years studying Arabic grammar, literature and Islamic Jurisprudence. He then traveled to the United Kingdom to continue his studies, enrolling in the rigorous 7-year Alim program. He completed his final year in South Africa where he graduated with a BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies, and achieved numerous authorizations in the study of Hadith. He completed his Masters in Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto to become a trained chaplain. In 2016, Imam Omar was selected as the Muslim Chaplain at University of Toronto Scarborough Campus where he caters to the needs of Muslim students by holding counselling sessions and weekly programs on site.
Heba Ragheb has completed a B.Sc. in Neuroscience and Psychology and a Masters of Social Work. She is currently working as a research coordinator, psychometrist and social worker in the Cognitive Neurology Department of Sunnybrook Hospital. Over the past six years, Heba Ragheb has been affiliated with Blue Hills Child and Family Centre, UHN, Sick Kids Hospital, the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, The Muslim Medical Association of Canada, University of Toronto and George Brown College at varying capacities. Heba is passionate about delivering mental health services that improve the quality of life of community members and lead to new pathways of healing. As a mental health activist, volunteer and community member, Heba has been collaborating with a team of professionals to develop RefugeeMAP, a non-for profit organization aiming to provide trauma informed mental health services to Syrian refugees in Arabic.
Dr. Tayyab Rashid is a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada. Dr. Rashid's expertises include positive clinical psychology, strength-based resilience, posttraumatic growth, multicultural psychotherapy and positive education. Dr. Rashid completed his clinical training at the Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey and at the University of Pennsylvania where he developed and empirically validated positive psychotherapy (PPT) with Dr. Martin Seligman, the founding father of positive psychology and one of the leading experts in optimism and well-being.
Dr. Hamid Slimi is a Canadian Imam and Scholar, a Community developer and a religious leader of Islam in Canada. He has been serving as an Imam, Chaplain, Lecturer, Counsellor and Educator in different mosques (masjid in Arabic) and Islamic centers and Educational Institutions in Canada for over 13 years. He is currently the Chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams, member of the Fiqh Council and several Federal and Provincial Multi-Faith councils. He is also the founder and executive director of the Faith of Life Network, the Imam and resident scholar of Sayeda Khadija Centre in the Great Toronto Area, lecturer at the Islamic Institute of Toronto and also a host and producer of Faith of Life TV shows and documentaries as well as the publisher of Faith of Life Magazine.
Dr. Javeed Sukhera is an Assistant Professor at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. At London Health Sciences Centre, he is Senior Designate Physician Lead for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and works in the paediatric chronic pain program and transcultural mental health team. He studied medicine at the Medical School for International Health (MSIH), an innovative collaboration between Columbia University and Ben-Gurion University in Israel and completed his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Rochester in New York. He is actively involved in multiple committees and councils at the local, provincial and national levels.
Dr. Arif Syed was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He is a graduate from the University of Alberta with MD and a Graduate from the University of Western Ontario with Psychiatry specialization. He worked for about four years as a psychiatrist at University of Waterloo. For the last 7 years, Dr. Syed has been working in private practice in the Toronto area. Moreover, Dr. Arif Syed regularly speaks about mental health issues in the Muslim community.
Imam Ayman Al-Taher is the Clinical/Inter-faith/Muslim Chaplain at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. He has also been a member of the Imam’s Council of Canada and is a board member and Chairperson for many advocate groups and community organizations such as the Muslim Children Aid and Support Services. Chaplain Al-Taher also holds certification as a Mental Health First Aid instructor. He is an active in the GTA and surrounding areas.
Ustadh and Chaplain Amjad Tarsin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent his early childhood there. He obtained his Bachelors of Arts at the University of Michigan in English Literature and Islamic Studies. After spending a transformative year studying Islam abroad, Ustadh Amjad returned to America to start his studies at University of Michigan Law School. Yearning to fulfill his calling to community building, spiritual development, and service, Ustadh Amjad changed career paths and enrolled in Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program. While completing his degree, Ustadh Amjad worked as a part-time Muslim chaplain at Fairfield University, Connecticut. In 2012 he was selected as University of Toronto’s first full-time Muslim Chaplain. Ustadh Amjad continues to study and teach on a regular basis at SeekersHub Toronto.
Rabia Toor is a 4th year medical student from Saba University School of Medicine.
Veil of Silence is a documentary featuring a variety of individuals and their experiences with mental illness in the Muslim community. The stigma of mental illness remains a taboo subject for the Muslim culture, with individuals hiding behind closed doors and struggling to endure firmly established societal norms of shame and ignorance. This documentary aims to break down cultural barriers and reconciles the notion that mental illness knows no sex, race, age, religion or culture.
Ayan Yusuf is most commonly known as a strong advocate for mental health. As a person who suffers from mental illness herself; she has made it her life's mission to raise awareness and strike at stereotypes and stigmas associated with mental health. Currently, she is working on her degree in Social Work and volunteers for numerous rehab and drop-in centres including the Salvation Army in Ottawa. She has captivated audiences all over Canada and the US. She is real, she is raw and she is dedicated to helping others understand mental health in a different light.
Samra Zafar is a multiple award winning, top graduate of the University of Toronto, a Public Speaker on women's rights, a mother, and a social entrepreneur. After arriving in Canada as a 16 year old bride in an arranged marriage, Samra faced over a decade of oppression and opposition against her education. Refusing to give up, she pursued her education as a single mother while working multiple jobs and raising her daughters. She completed her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Economics from the University of Toronto with the highest distinctions, while winning over a dozen awards and scholarships. She is an active board member of multiple women’s organizations and is a career mentor with numerous alumni associations.
Morning Sessions:
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Macleod Auditorium – Room 2158)
8:00 am - Registration and Tai Chi with Nada Ashkar
9:00 am - Keynote Lectures:
ISLAMIC INTEGRATIVE MODEL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR MUSLIM MENTAL HEALTH
Speaker: Hooman Keshawarvi (Khalil Center)
MENTAL ILLNESS/HEALTH IN ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE: A PROPOSED COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Speaker: Shaykh Bilal Ali Ansari (Darul Qasim)
10:25am - Keynote Lecture:
MENTAL HEALTH AND RELIGIOSITY: IS RELIGIOSITY THE CURE FOR ALL MENTAL ILLNESSES?
Speaker: Dr. Marwa Azab (California State University)
11:30 am - Chelby Marie Daigle - Lived Experience Speaker
11:50 am - Ayan Yusuf - Lived Experience Speaker
12:20 pm- Movie Screening – VEIL OF SILENCE
with Rabia Toor
Lunch, poster presentations and booths
1:00 pm - Dhuhr prayer
Afternoon Parallel Sessions:
MEDICAL/MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Room 2172)
1:30-2:20 - The 5 W's to Accessing Mental Health Resources" - Berak Hussain
2:30-3:20 - The National Mental Health Model of the Aga Khan Health Board
for Canada - Dr. Muhammad Mamdani and Dr. Ayaz Kurji
3:30-4:20 - Embracing Our Difference: Discussing Intersecting Oppressions,
Inclusivity and Mental Health - Namarig Ahmed (RN)
4:30-5:20 - Medications in the Context of Mental Health - Dr. Arif Syed
5:20-6:10 - Exploring Cognitive Impairment - Dr. Raza Naqvi
SPIRITUALITY AND MENTAL HEATLH
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Room 2170)
1:30-2:20 - Spirituality and Mental Illness - Imam Habeeb Ali and Imam Slimi
2:30-3:20 - Coping with Mental Illness- Chaplain Ayman Al-Taher and Asma Ali
3:30-4:20 - Strength Based Resilience (SBR) - The Importance of Character
Strengths in the Context of Islamic Thought and Practice –
Dr. Tayyab Rashid
4:30-5:20 - Introduction to Mindfulness Practice in the context of Islam –
Dr. Yusra Ahmad and Zainib Abdullah (SW)
5:20- 6:10 - Pastoral Care Models – Chaplain Omar Patel
GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH
(Location: Medical Sciences Building – Macleod Auditorium – Room 2158)
1:30-2:20 - Child and Adolescent Mental Health - The Influence of Internalized
Mental Illness and Islamophobia for Muslim Youth –
Dr. Javeed Sukhera
2:30-3:20 - Domestic Violence: Lived Experience Interview – Dr. Yusra Ahmad
and Samra Zafar
3:30-4:20 - Refugee Mental Health - Dr. Lisa Andermann
4:30-5:20 - Addictions - Dr. Ahmed Hassan
5:20-6:10 - Depression and Community Resilience – Heba Ragheb (SW)
and Chaplain and Ustadh Amjad Tarsin
Evening Program
Multifaith Center – Main Activity Hall Room 208 – Second Floor – University of Toronto
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm – Narratives of Pain (separate ticket)
Narratives of Pain:
Imagine Saturday Night Live combined with Alcoholics Anonymous. This is what a Narratives event is like. Narratives of Pain is a safe space for Muslim storytellers and community engagement, including a session where anyone has the opportunity to share his or her feelings in front of an audience. The stories range from song, to spoken word, to physical artwork. Through this storytelling and community atmosphere, we create an environment of healing and recovery.
Keynote Speaker Biographies
Title: ISLAMIC INTEGRATIVE MODEL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR MUSLIM MENTAL HEALTH
by Hooman Keshavarzi MA, LCPC joining us from the Khalil Center.
Hooman Keshavarzi is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, holds a Masters of Clinical Psychology and a Bachelors of Science – specialist psychology track/minor in Islamic Studies. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Argosy University Chicago, American Islamic College, Hartford Seminary, instructor of psychology at Islamic Online University and founder/director of Khalil Center – a community spiritual & mental wellness center. He is also a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding at the Global Health Center, conducting research on topics related to Muslims and Mental Health. Hooman Keshavarzi is a national public speaker and trainer currently serving as a Clinical supervisor of graduate students of clinical psychology at the Village of Hoffman Estates (DHS). He also delivers seminars on specialized topics around multiculturalism and psychology.
Hooman Keshavarzi has also authored numerous published academic papers in recognized peer-reviewed journals on integrating Islamic spirituality into psychology. In addition to his academic training, Hooman Keshavarzi has studied Islamic theology both formally and informally. He is a student of Shaykh Muhammad Zakariya from Toronto, Canada, where he attended his hadith and spiritual discourses for a number of years. After moving to Chicago, he studied informally with Shaykh Azeemuddin Ahmed. He did some coursework with Shaykh Amin Kholwadia in Islamic counseling and formally studied for a year at Darul Qasim. He then moved onto study at Darus Salam foundation, completing three years of Islamic education and where he is continuing his Islamic studies.
About Khalil Center:
Khalil Center is a social and spiritual community wellness center designed to address the widespread prevalence of social, psychological, familial, relational and spiritual issues of communities. Khalil Center’s approach emphasizes: psychological reconstruction, behavioral reformation and spiritual elevation. Khalil Center utilizes faith-based approaches rooted in Islamic theological concepts while integrating the science of psychology towards addressing psychological, spiritual and communal health.
Keynote Speaker Biographies
Title: MENTAL ILLNESS/HEALTH IN ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE: A PROPOSED COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
by Mawlana Bilal Ali Ansari, Chair Department of Hadith - Darul Qasim
Mawlana Bilal Ali Ansari: received his undergraduate education at the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL in Computer Engineering and received his Bachelors diploma from National-Louis University in Lisle, IL in the field of Applied Behavioral Sciences. His Islamic education began at Jāmiʿat al-Ḥasanayn in Faisalabad, Pakistan, a pioneering seminary founded by the renowned orator and scholar, Mawlana Tariq Jameel, where he studied the foundational Islamic sciences with erudite scholars like Mawlana ʿUbayd Allāh, Shaykh Ramzī al-Ḥabīb al-Tūnisī, and Mufti Aḥmad ʿAlī.
Mawlana Bilal completed his formal dars niẓāmī studies (equivalent Masters degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies) at the Jāmiʿat Dār al-ʿUlūm in Karachi. Mawlana Bilal subsequently enrolled in a specialization course in Hadith and studied under ‘Allamah Dr. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm al-Nuʿmānī (al-Chishtī).
Mawlana Bilal has ijāzahs in hadith from the most senior generation of hadith masters in Pakistan. He has since continued his studies in various fields, including discursive theology (kalām), Islamic jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh), and Islamic philosophy under Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia at Darul Qasim. His research interests include Hadith, Ḥanafī law, Education and curriculum development, Mental Health, and Islamic Bioethics.
Keynote Speaker Biographies
Title: NEUROSCIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THE CONTEXT OF ISLAM
Dr. Marwa Azab
Lecturer and Adjunct Professor at California State University, Long Beach & Lecturer at UC Irvine, public speaker and individual/group life coach.
Dr. Azab is currently teaching for the Psychology and Human Development department at Cal State University, Long Beach. She has also taught for the Biology department at UCI after finishing her doctorate in Neuroscience from there. She studied psychology for many years and completed masters in Counseling from Toronto, Canada. After many years of studying human behavior from a psychological perspective, she realized that there were blind spots that needed to be satiated from complementary fields. Thus, she completed a PhD in Biological Sciences with emphasis on Neurobiology & Behavior.
In addition to lecturing at CSULB, she is a sought after international public speaker who gets invited to speak on a variety of topics, including two TEDx talks. Check out her most recent TEDx talk “The Logical Vs. The Reflexive Brain: Only One Wins”. She has blogged for the HuffingtonPost and elephant Journal. You can connect with her on her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DrMarwaAzab.
Speaker Biographies
Zainib Abdullah BSc. MSW is a Mental Health Counsellor currently working at the Urgent Care Clinic of Toronto Western Hospital. She has her Masters in Social Work from the University of Toronto and has been working and volunteering in the mental health field over the past 8 years. Her practice approach is client centred and trauma informed, valuing diversity and including various therapeutic approaches with a special interest and focus on Mindfulness, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Sensorimotor and Somatic Psychotherapy. She is currently involved in research and community development projects that aim to support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of individuals within the Canadian Muslim and recent refugee community.
Dr. Yusra Ahmad completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago. She then went on to obtain her MD from the University of Toronto where she also completed a residency in psychiatry. Yusra currently works at the Inner City Family Health Team, MATCH team and the Regent Park Community Health Centre. She is affiliated with St. Michael's Hospital and Women's College Hospital. She is a Clinical Lecturer in the Division of Equity, Gender & Population in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Yusra has lived in 4 countries and speaks 5 languages. She is deeply interested in the intersection of social justice issues and mental healthcare.
Namarig Ahmed is a Registered Nurse who is currently pursuing her graduate studies at Ryerson University. Her professional experience spans mental health, chronic disease management, palliative care and Sexual Assault and Domestic care. In addition, Namarig has worked in Regent Park with the Muslim Community providing various programming for children, youth and mothers. Namarig currently works with Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) as a Nurse Coordinator, working with the homeless and marginalized populations. In this role, she works with the Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) program, coordinating care for the homeless and vulnerably housed individuals as they near end of life.
Asma Maryam Ali is a Canadian-educated therapist and educator. Asma is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), which describes a process by which Asma is currently completing additional requirements for the college to which she belongs, the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Asma is also a member of the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists (OACCPP) and she is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. Asma has been counselling individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, personality disorders, relationship and family disputes, grief and loss, physical impairments and further issues since 2012.
Imam Habeeb Ali is a member of the Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians and the Canadian Council of Imams. He is an honorary director for the Moeen Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Director of the GTA Faith Alliance and the Abraham Festival in Peterborough. Imam Habeeb presently serves as Community Development Manager at International Development and Relief Foundation and Federal Chaplain with Correctional Services of Canada.
Dr. Lisa Andermann's main areas of interest in research and teaching focus on cultural psychiatry. In addition to her work at the Mount Sinai Ethnocultural ACT team and Psychological Trauma Clinic, Dr. Lisa Andermann is a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (ICHA); and with the Northern Psychiatric Outreach Program (NPOP-C) providing outreach to remote communities on Baffin Island. She has been involved with the development of the first psychiatry residency training program in Ethiopia. Dr. Andermann recently co-edited a book entitled Refuge and Resilience: Promoting Resilience and Mental Health Among Refugees and Forced Migrants (Springer, 2014).
Nada Ashkar, BHum, R.Ac, is a Registered Acupuncturist, and a classically trained Taijiquan (Tai Chi), Qigong and meditation practitioner and instructor. She has practiced martial arts since she was 10 years old, various forms of meditation, and has trained in the classical Taoist internal and martial arts for over 10 years with Sifu Dylan Kirk of Spiritwind Internal Arts. Nada has a traditional Chinese medicine practice located in Toronto which services both men and women of varying ages and health concerns in seeking to realize their optimal state of health. Her passion is in using the traditional healing arts with an emphasis on mindfulness to support individuals in coming into physical and emotional balance to blossom into their full spiritual potential.
Chelby Marie Daigle was diagnosed with clinical depression at age 15 and has been publicly speaking about living with mental illness since her teens. She converted to Islam at 22 and since then has focused on public speaking within Muslim communities on the issue of depression and suicide. Her position as both an insider and outsider within Muslim communities has meant that she is often confided in by Muslims living with mental illness, many of whom feel marginalized within Muslim communities, even amongst some Muslim medical professionals. In her talk, she will explore her personal experience with depression and suicide, ways in which navigating Muslim communities alleviated and exacerbated her mental health issues, what she has learned over the last decade of supporting and working with Muslims living with mental illness and the fallout of Muslim suicides within her community.
Dr. Ahmed N. Hassan is an addiction psychiatrist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He completed his psychiatry residency, mood and anxiety fellowship and Addiction fellowship at the University of Toronto. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physician and Surgeon of Canada and a Diplomate of the American Board of psychiatry and Neurology. He completed a master of public health degree from Johns Hopkins School of public Health. He has a particular research interest in the bio-psycho-social aspect of addictions, improving the care for patients with concurrent disorders with a focus on patients with both opioid use disorder and Mood/Anxiety disorders.
Berak Hussain is the International Students Counsellor at the Health and Counselling Services at Carleton University. She has a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Educational Counselling from the University of Ottawa, and has been counselling students for 9 years now. At Health and Counselling Services, she helps students from all sorts of backgrounds through issues ranging from anxiety, depression, stress, culture shock, identity challenges, suicide, relationships issues and more. Berak has participated in many counselling- and community-related events, presenting on the topic of Islamic Counselling to local practitioners over the years, in the hopes of sharing common ideas on how to best support faith-based clients. Berak has also created a Facebook forum called "The Muslim Counsellor" to discuss and explore these issues.
Dr. Ayaz Kurji is a resident physician in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Prior to this, he obtained a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Life Sciences and Psychology, as well as a Doctor of Medicine degree, both from Queen’s University. From July 2013 to July 2016, Ayaz served as the National Director of Mental Health Programming on the Aga Khan Health Board for Canada and led the implementation of their first National Mental Health Strategy.
Dr. Muhammad Mamdani is the Founding Director of the Li Ka Shing Centre for Healthcare Analytics Research and Training (CHART) of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He is also a Professor at the University of Toronto and was named among Canada’s Top 40 under 40 in 2010. He has published over 350 research studies in leading medical journals and serves as the Chairperson of the Aga Khan Health Board for Canada.Dr. Mamdani obtained a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from the University of Michigan, a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Wayne State University, and a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University.
Dr. Raza M. Naqvi is the Geriatric Medicine Lead at Markham Stouffville Hospital and a part-time Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. He completed his medical school at Western University and residency and fellowship training at the University of Toronto. Dr. Naqvi completed a Masters in Bioethics from the University of Toronto and has published in international journals on topics related to cognitive impairment and assessment tools for multicultural populations. He also has ongoing research projects related to end of life care and elder abuse in immigrant populations.
Imam Omar Patel was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. At the tender age of 15, he developed an interest in studying the Arabic language and spent the next 3 years studying Arabic grammar, literature and Islamic Jurisprudence. He then traveled to the United Kingdom to continue his studies, enrolling in the rigorous 7-year Alim program. He completed his final year in South Africa where he graduated with a BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies, and achieved numerous authorizations in the study of Hadith. He completed his Masters in Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto to become a trained chaplain. In 2016, Imam Omar was selected as the Muslim Chaplain at University of Toronto Scarborough Campus where he caters to the needs of Muslim students by holding counselling sessions and weekly programs on site.
Heba Ragheb has completed a B.Sc. in Neuroscience and Psychology and a Masters of Social Work. She is currently working as a research coordinator, psychometrist and social worker in the Cognitive Neurology Department of Sunnybrook Hospital. Over the past six years, Heba Ragheb has been affiliated with Blue Hills Child and Family Centre, UHN, Sick Kids Hospital, the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, The Muslim Medical Association of Canada, University of Toronto and George Brown College at varying capacities. Heba is passionate about delivering mental health services that improve the quality of life of community members and lead to new pathways of healing. As a mental health activist, volunteer and community member, Heba has been collaborating with a team of professionals to develop RefugeeMAP, a non-for profit organization aiming to provide trauma informed mental health services to Syrian refugees in Arabic.
Dr. Tayyab Rashid is a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada. Dr. Rashid's expertises include positive clinical psychology, strength-based resilience, posttraumatic growth, multicultural psychotherapy and positive education. Dr. Rashid completed his clinical training at the Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey and at the University of Pennsylvania where he developed and empirically validated positive psychotherapy (PPT) with Dr. Martin Seligman, the founding father of positive psychology and one of the leading experts in optimism and well-being.
Dr. Hamid Slimi is a Canadian Imam and Scholar, a Community developer and a religious leader of Islam in Canada. He has been serving as an Imam, Chaplain, Lecturer, Counsellor and Educator in different mosques (masjid in Arabic) and Islamic centers and Educational Institutions in Canada for over 13 years. He is currently the Chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams, member of the Fiqh Council and several Federal and Provincial Multi-Faith councils. He is also the founder and executive director of the Faith of Life Network, the Imam and resident scholar of Sayeda Khadija Centre in the Great Toronto Area, lecturer at the Islamic Institute of Toronto and also a host and producer of Faith of Life TV shows and documentaries as well as the publisher of Faith of Life Magazine.
Dr. Javeed Sukhera is an Assistant Professor at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. At London Health Sciences Centre, he is Senior Designate Physician Lead for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and works in the paediatric chronic pain program and transcultural mental health team. He studied medicine at the Medical School for International Health (MSIH), an innovative collaboration between Columbia University and Ben-Gurion University in Israel and completed his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Rochester in New York. He is actively involved in multiple committees and councils at the local, provincial and national levels.
Dr. Arif Syed was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He is a graduate from the University of Alberta with MD and a Graduate from the University of Western Ontario with Psychiatry specialization. He worked for about four years as a psychiatrist at University of Waterloo. For the last 7 years, Dr. Syed has been working in private practice in the Toronto area. Moreover, Dr. Arif Syed regularly speaks about mental health issues in the Muslim community.
Imam Ayman Al-Taher is the Clinical/Inter-faith/Muslim Chaplain at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. He has also been a member of the Imam’s Council of Canada and is a board member and Chairperson for many advocate groups and community organizations such as the Muslim Children Aid and Support Services. Chaplain Al-Taher also holds certification as a Mental Health First Aid instructor. He is an active in the GTA and surrounding areas.
Ustadh and Chaplain Amjad Tarsin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent his early childhood there. He obtained his Bachelors of Arts at the University of Michigan in English Literature and Islamic Studies. After spending a transformative year studying Islam abroad, Ustadh Amjad returned to America to start his studies at University of Michigan Law School. Yearning to fulfill his calling to community building, spiritual development, and service, Ustadh Amjad changed career paths and enrolled in Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program. While completing his degree, Ustadh Amjad worked as a part-time Muslim chaplain at Fairfield University, Connecticut. In 2012 he was selected as University of Toronto’s first full-time Muslim Chaplain. Ustadh Amjad continues to study and teach on a regular basis at SeekersHub Toronto.
Rabia Toor is a 4th year medical student from Saba University School of Medicine.
Veil of Silence is a documentary featuring a variety of individuals and their experiences with mental illness in the Muslim community. The stigma of mental illness remains a taboo subject for the Muslim culture, with individuals hiding behind closed doors and struggling to endure firmly established societal norms of shame and ignorance. This documentary aims to break down cultural barriers and reconciles the notion that mental illness knows no sex, race, age, religion or culture.
Ayan Yusuf is most commonly known as a strong advocate for mental health. As a person who suffers from mental illness herself; she has made it her life's mission to raise awareness and strike at stereotypes and stigmas associated with mental health. Currently, she is working on her degree in Social Work and volunteers for numerous rehab and drop-in centres including the Salvation Army in Ottawa. She has captivated audiences all over Canada and the US. She is real, she is raw and she is dedicated to helping others understand mental health in a different light.
Samra Zafar is a multiple award winning, top graduate of the University of Toronto, a Public Speaker on women's rights, a mother, and a social entrepreneur. After arriving in Canada as a 16 year old bride in an arranged marriage, Samra faced over a decade of oppression and opposition against her education. Refusing to give up, she pursued her education as a single mother while working multiple jobs and raising her daughters. She completed her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Economics from the University of Toronto with the highest distinctions, while winning over a dozen awards and scholarships. She is an active board member of multiple women’s organizations and is a career mentor with numerous alumni associations.
