Mental health practice priorities

In this step, Dr Rothman responds to a question asking what the priorities are for practitioners who support mental health in Muslim communities. He identifies the following priorities:

• not seeing Muslims as a homogenous group
• not assuming that mainstream conceptions of psychology can be applied to Muslims and being open to embracing alternative conceptualisations of mental health
• being aware of unconscious bias
• creating opportunities for dialogue between mental health practitioners and religious scholars
• exploring opportunities for religious scholars and mental health practitioners to work in partnership
• for non-Muslim practitioners to become familiar enough with the Muslim worldview to honour how Muslims navigate their life and understand their world, and to be careful that their support is not problematic in relation to Muslim religious beliefs and values.

Over to you

Which one of Dr Rothman’s recommendations do you think you might be able to implement in your mental health support practice, and why? Has the knowledge you have gained through this course supported you to work towards this recommendation, and how?