1st Edition
Islamic Counselling An Introduction to theory and practice
Islamic counselling is a form of counselling which incorporates spirituality into the therapeutic process. Until now there has been little material available on the subject with no one agreed definition of Islamic counselling and what it involves. There has also been a rapidly growing population of Muslims in Western societies with a corresponding rise in need of psychological and counselling services. Islamic Counselling: An Introduction to theory and practice presents a basic understanding of Islamic counselling for counsellors and Islamic counsellors, and provides an understanding of counselling approaches congruent with Islamic beliefs and practices from a faith-based perspective.
The book is designed as an introduction for counsellors, its goal is to inform the reader about how the diverse roles of the Islamic counsellor fit together in a comprehensive way and to provide the guidelines that can be potentially integrated into a theoretical framework for use. The book is divided into two parts. Section one: Context and Background, and Section two: Assessment, Models and Intervention Strategies.
Islamic Counselling encompasses both current theory, research and an awareness of the practice implications in delivering appropriate and effective counselling interventions with Muslim clients. It will be essential reading for both professionals and students alike.
Preface. Acknowledgements. Part I: Context and Background. Islam and Muslims. Counselling and Islamic Counselling. Spirituality and Islamic Counselling. Understanding Human Nature and Personality Development in the Islamic Context. Psychological Health: Cultural & Religious Influences. Understanding the Muslim Client. Islamic Ethics Related to Counselling. Part II: Assessment, Models and Intervention Strategies. General Guidelines for the Assessment of Muslim Clients. Psychodynamic Counselling and Therapy. Humanistic Approach: Client-Centred Counselling. Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy: An Islamic Perspective. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. Pre-Marital and Marital Counselling. Religious Coping Strategy and Spiritual Interventions. Towards an Islamic Counselling Practice Model. Counselling and Addiction. Counselling for Alcohol Problems. The Role of the Imam in Counselling. Challenges, Strategies and Competence.
Biography
G. Hussein Rassool (PhD, University of London) is Head of Department, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Online University, responsible for the Certificate, Diploma and BA (Psychology from an Islamic Perspective). He is the Executive Director & Consultant of Sakina Counselling Institute & Research. He is an independent consultant in Addiction and Mental Health. He was Professor of Addiction and Mental Health, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. His previous experience was as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Addictive Behaviour & Psychological Medicine, Centre for Addiction Studies, St George’s Hospital Medical School (University of London), UK. During his career, he has a been awarded a number of honours and was an editorial member of a number of prestigious international journals. He has published extensively and is an author /editor of eight books.
"As the first mainstream textbook on Islamic counselling, I think Rassool has successfully created a comprehensive resource to further develop culturally competent counselling for Muslim clients as well as providing a faith-based practice model for counsellors who are looking to offer Islamic counselling." – Myira Khan is a counsellor in private practice and founder of the Muslim Counsellor and Psychotherapist Network, Therapy Today
"A comprehensive and well-structured book from a psycho-religious perspective. This book fills a gap in the field of Islamic counselling. I highly recommend it to students, professionals and anyone with an interest in the subject." – Soha Rajeev, Soul Talk & IOU
"At best this could become an essential source for psychotherapy students, and at the very least could spur others on to write more. The rich inspiring ideas of psychic construct and healing in Islam may then build, with various descriptions and models enriching the world of therapy." – Mrs Rukaya Rose MBACP Senior Accred. Dip. Islamic Counselling
"G. Hussein Rassool has written Islamic Counselling for both Muslims and non-Muslims. The book introduces Sunni Islam to Western counsellors who face more and more Muslim clients and need a quick reference to understand them... The Muslim audience, in turn, will come away with a deeper understanding of how Western notions and practices of counselling fit into their beliefs, and why some are more appropriate than others... Rassool [outlines] the practical and rich interpretation of contemplation... that helps to make the book worthwhile. Placing this alongside certain Western counselling models opens some doors between Islam and Western psychology." - Brian Welter, Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies
"Islamic Counselling... successfully differentiates Islamic counseling theory from a wide range of mainstream therapeutic models... It serves as an itroductory guide to support academics, clinicians, paraprofessionals, and students in the understanding of and in th proper care of the Muslim population in the West... Islamic Counselling is well organized and comprehensive, and it provides considerable theoretical integration. The book is well structured... The book offers excellent integrative analyses of Islamic counseling with a large range of mainstream counseling approaches and problems... Islamic Counselling provides both breadth and depth of coverage... The author appears highly knowledge about spiritual issues and frequently refers to religious sources... Islamic Counselling is likely to garner wide appeal." -Karen Jennifer Golden, Monash University, Malaysia, and Monica Boddie, coach, editor and Islamic educator, PsycCritiques
