Supporting Muslims who experience addiction: Muslim practitioner perspective

In this video, Suhayl explains his approach to supporting people living with addiction. People often only reach out to support services when they are at crisis point so can be distressed when they first meet their support provider.

Suhayl evaluates where Muslims living with addiction are on their ‘spiritual journey’ in relation to their level of religious practices and the beliefs they hold, before incorporating religiosity into the support he provides (as explained in the previous video). Attributing mental health problems to spiritual problems alone is likely to be an over-simplification of its causes – biological, psychological and social causes remain important.

Suhayl refers to two assessment tools, CORE-10 and PGSI, you can find out more about these tools below. The sessions are then structured based on the results from these assessments. Following this, service-users participate in twelve sessions with a gambling harms support worker. The assessments are repeated regularly to evaluate changes over time and to structure the support session to the individual’s needs.

Screening Tools for Gambling Addiction

1. The CORE-10 Assessment

CORE stands for “Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation” and the CORE system comprises tools and thinking to support monitoring of change and outcomes in routine practice in psychotherapy, counselling and any other work attempting to promote psychological recovery, health and wellbeing. The CORE outcome measure (CORE-10) is a sessional monitoring tool with items covering anxiety, depression, trauma, physical problems, functioning and risk to self.

CORE Measurement Tools (CORE-10), a project of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.

2. Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)

The PGSI is a screening tool that has been developed for use among the general public. It consists of nine items to assess the risk of experiencing gambling-related harm (Gambling Commission 2021).

Gambling Commission. 2021. Problem gambling screens. The Gambling Commission.

Over to you

What tools or questions would you use to evaluate a person’s religiosity, or as Suhyal puts it – where they are on their spiritual journey?

Please share your response below.