It’s a long time since I’ve written any poetry…but I recently just did. It reminded me how healing and powerful it can be – a different way of expressing something, a different ‘vehicle’ that somehow suited what I wanted to say. Sheepishly sharing. Is it ok to say? Is it ok to say? Should I...Read More

I’m looking forward to this workshop next week – after an uplifting experience giving a talk at The School of Oriental and African Studies last week with great questions, this even will have a different flavour I think. It’s being hosted by the Imamia Medics UK Chapter, asp part of an all day conference “The Iceberg of...Read More

This excellent resource received great reviews in the academic press and includes a chapter by us on Islamic Counselling. I’m posting the table of contents below. Table of Contents Part I: Muslim Beliefs within a Counseling Framework. Haque, Kamil, Islam, Muslims, and Mental Health. Utz, Conceptualizations of Mental Health, Illness, and Healing. Ali, Aboul-Fotouh, Traditional Mental Health Coping...Read More

Although bullying can take a variety of forms, it is characterised by one key issue-the abuse of power. Sabnum Dharansi highlights how we can guard against it. The tragic news of Hannah Smith, the 14 year-old British schoolgirl who committed suicide in August this year after suffering abuse from cyberbullies, once again focused the nation’s...Read More

Christmas approaches and it is impossible to ignore the spangly party atmosphere. For Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries, the season of good will presents many challenges, says Sabnum Dharansi I have come across many different attitudes to Christmas, and so I decided to take a closer look at the way we do things, in...Read More

How does a new school affect you and your child? Sabnum Dharamsi offers a spiritual perspective on change and parenthood. Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not...Read More

From the COUNSELOR’S chair Counselling ulthm Often people feel inadequate and guilty when things go wrong in their lives. What if they had some help along the way? Sabnum Dharamsi describes the process of Islamic counselling veryone goes through ups and downs in life. When we are stuck, struggling with a relationship or making sense...Read More

By Sabnum Dharamsi ã Talk given at St Ethelburga’s, London (2007) edited version (2009) This talk is about intersections between knowledge, psychology and faith, and their role in understanding the nature of truth and knowledge and how these condition our actions. It does this by taking a journey from doubt to reason, through different aspects...Read More

A paper by Abdullah Maynard Qadr and Qadir. The events in England following the death of Mark Dugan on the 4thof August, the spontaneous violence, rioting and looting to me illustrate in a graphic clarity the interaction between decree and destiny played out on a grand scale in the context of our evolution of consciousness....Read More

A paper by Sabnum Dharamsi and Stephen Maynard presented at Durham University, Spirituality, Theology and Mental Health: Myth, Authority and Healing Power ABSTRACT Current research suggests that it is the quality of the therapeutic relationship, irrespective of the model, which most impacts clinical outcome in counselling. This paper looks at how spirituality can enhance the...Read More