A life – changing and challenging, affordable course, the Level 4 Diploma in Islamic Counselling delivered by SMA throws you in at the deep end but holds you through the process as gently as a mother her child. There’s no dumbing down but plenty of room for individuals and high levels of acceptance of quirks and learning styles.
I have met some amazing people whom I count as lifelong friends, and feel equipped to go out and serve the world. I would readily recommend any of the counselling courses and urge people to take the plunge and be transformed. “
Ayesha Powell – Diploma Student 2015-17, Eastbourne ,UK
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu dear brothers and sisters.
Life-changing and work-enhancing are just two of the many ways that I would describe Sabnum and Abdullah’s Islamic Counselling training courses.
Having successfully completed Levels 2 and 3 (and hoping to start Level 4 in 2017), I think that the courses are well-balanced in every way, for example: time spent working on Islamic Counselling theory compared with putting it into practice; the range of tutoring and learning activities, e.g. whole-group check-ins, whole-group discussions, small-group work (e.g. triad work, discussions, etc), Tutor presentations, small-group trainee presentations, and one-to-one peer counselling skills practice; one-to-one time with Sabnum, whether because we approached her or because she sensed that we could do with it; and so on; and so forth. Furthermore, Sabnum’s one-to-one feedback on my work (namely Learning Reviews, contributions to whole-group discussions and twice when she observed me practicing my counselling skills) has always been very detailed, very insightful and overall very helpful.
Personally, I have benefitted from Sabnum’s training immeasurably, that is: I’ve started becoming much more self-aware in ways that I haven’t before (e.g. when reading about things of a highly spiritual nature); I’ve really improved my counselling skills; I’ve really enjoyed the “Islamic companionship” as it’s called on the “CST-L3 Candidate Self-review”; as it happened I realised that for the first time in my life I felt the need for some form of formal counselling or therapy, which I decided would be Islamic Counselling (which is something you have to do on Level 4 anyway), and which I went through with and found to be very beneficial; and I’ve gotten one step closer to becoming a qualified Islamic Counsellor and thereby one step closer to my overall calling of becoming a qualified Muslim Chaplain.
In The Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
My name is Nadir Khan and I am an Intermediate Support Worker at Springfield University Hospital in Tooting. I had the pleasure of being a student on both the level 2 and 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills in 2015. I came into the course having studied an introductory course in counselling skills with the intention of developing my skills as a practitioner and eventually becoming a qualified counsellor.
My experience on the course is difficult to put into words because it was not only a journey into the field of psychological therapies but an extraordinary opportunity for self-discovery. Our teacher Ustadha Sabnum is a truly gifted individual who from day one was able to create a safe environment where we as students were able to explore their own identities as well as develop our ability as counsellors and understand how these characteristics are rooted in our core beliefs as Muslims.
As part of the course we are required to complete a reflective journal where were illustrate our understanding of the theory covered and how these relate to our personal life experiences. Central to the depth of our development as students was the therapeutic environment provided to us by our teacher and her husband Ustadh Abdullah. As a result we not only grew as individuals but created long lasting friendships with others in the group.
Both during the course and having left I have observed the difference in my ability to connect with others when supporting them and the impact of incorporating my beliefs when practicing empathy in my day to day work as a support worker. The knowledge the course provided me, specifically in relation to ‘tasawwuf’ has also enabled me to better understand our identities as human beings and what motivates our behaviour.
I would not hesitate in recommending training with Stephen Maynard and Associates to those interested in Islamic Counselling, learning more about themselves and what motivates them to explore the field of counselling.
Nadir Khan, Level 3, 2015
What a phenomenal journey it has been. Uplifting, deep, transformative and life changing. The courses have been amazing in terms of my own personal journey, reconnecting with my self and soul, and beginning to explore on new levels; layers upon layers, deeper and richer. And learning how perfectly imperfect we are and seeing the beauty of the human condition in myself and others.
I have also loved the level of professionalism instilled in the students through these courses, ensuring that we understand and really apply what we are learning in terms of ethics and other professional issues. And also how much we have been encouraged to embody what we learn; integrity, compassion, love, non-judgemental attitudes, empathy. These courses not only teach us awareness about these qualities, they teach us to be these. We are taught the utmost respect for clients and how this is so rooted in our Islamic understanding and our deeper human connections. Learning to still our hearts, to be present for our clients in a loving and compassionate way and seeing through the lense of empathy not judgement. If I had to say what these courses have taught me in one sentence, I’d say they have taught me how to be human.
Waheeda Islam Diploma Student 2015-17, London, UK
I started level 2 reluctantly not knowing what to expect, but I knew there was no way I was going to leave this journey when I came to the end of this level. As I start my second year of level 4, I am more than certain that every detail that Allah had written for me until this point today has been so perfect in how I was brought to my purpose and calling that my soul had been searching for ever since I had completed my formal education. The only thing I could warn you of is the amazing changes that you will be brought to experience should you choose to welcome them…..and trust me, you will! If you are a reflective person who will stretch any way possible to expand and become the person you would like to become and are willing to use yourself to help others on this journey of life then you will cherish these courses, no doubt about that!
The famous saying goes: One who knows himself, knows his Lord. This is the “service to others” path to the Lord, and those who we think we are helping are in fact helping us to know ourselves so that we may get a glimpse of the Lord through His amazing names that govern our existence.
I truly believe you can’t be disappointed, with such beautiful tutors as guides through this beautiful journey.
Ramzia Akbari, London, Diploma, Year 2 2015-2017
My Journey with Islamic Counselling started two years ago, and this totally changed my perception of what Counselling entailed. I had a background in Psychology and always had a passion to support people. I was at the time seeking some comfort in a service that would understand my culture, my situation and more importantly my religious values. This is when I came across Islamic Counselling, the more I read about the service the more intrigued I was about it and instead of using the service I decided to enrol on a course.
Initially my understanding of Islamic Counselling was that the service trained counsellors that had good knowledge of Islamic principles and South Asian culture and therefore would be best suited to understand some of the issues encountered by those using the service. I was sooo wrong!.
On starting the course, I was enlightened. I found how training in counselling skills was so different to what I had imagined. Over the weeks, I learnt that general principles used in Salah like being present, being aware of your surroundings were so important when helping someone. We talked about this and practiced with one another until we mastered the art of doing this and were constantly mindful we were following this. I found this so beautiful in comparison to other conventional methods I had tried, because it showed the importance and the honour placed on the individual seeking support, something I felt other services lacked.
The group I had joined was a mixture of souls all who had a common goal to learn techniques that would help them support people through Islamic Counselling. Each were on their own journey and funnily we all bonded very well and worked well together.
Our Teacher Sabnum was like a breath of fresh air. I would look forward to our early morning sessions where Sabnum would open the day with words that would literally reduce me to tears. The depth of what she said was so intense and so full of wisdom it would in a way bring me back to understanding the responsivity of a Counsellor and to constantly let go.
Being a spiritual person I loved how comparisons were made to prayer and how we could link those when dealing with the sensitive situations we may face when helping people and ourselves. I loved the importance of constantly letting go of my own agenda and making the person seeking support feel that they were being listened to actively.
Without realising, training for this course gave me the valuable skill of stepping back and dealing with my situation too without actually seeking help. The journals we kept were a way of reflecting and understanding exactly what we were learning and also felt! At the time, the journals felt like a chore but going back and reading them was lovely and also a record of the journey we all travelled. It was a way of airing our thoughts, good and bad about the course and our peers and teachers.
Islamic counselling is a course like no other. In my experience, it is also a valuable service which I would recommend to anyone seeking support and seeking to be a Counsellor. It is a flexible and adaptable course that gives you skills you can use in any situation. Although I had studied different types of Counselling, I use the principles I learnt in Islamic Counselling in everyday work and also in my day to day conduct with friends. I would advise anyone thinking of going into Counselling to do this course, and I would advise anyone seeking a support service to use it rather than seek alternatives. A hidden gem!
Samira Mohammed, Level 3 Islamic Counselling, 2015
I have been learning Islamic Counselling under the tutelage of Sabnum Dharamsi and Stephen Maynard Levels 2 and 3 and currently I am in my second year of Therapeutic Counselling Level 4. There are two realities that a student faces in these teachings; one inward and another one outward.
The course teaches you in very gentle but assertive ways to learn to listen, care, love and discipline yourself, and at the same time to learn to listen, cares and loves someone else’s life processes and be present for them in difficult and challenging times.
There is also another level – that is the one that teaches you to see Realities of life through Allah’s timing. Islamic Counselling is beautifully earthly and spiritual soul enriching too!
Sandra Ortiz, Level 4 Therapeutic Counselling Hitchin, Hertfordshire. U.K
I was first introduced to Islamic Counselling not long after I became a Muslim. I had in the past received some counselling myself, which I found very useful and had therefore done a most interesting and enjoyable introductory RSA Counselling course at Tower Hamlets College, so I could better help my students. This introduced me to the basics of counselling but there was no spiritual element, and no account was taken of participants’ or clients’ beliefs or faith. This aspect was in fact completely ignored and even discouraged.
When I heard about Islamic counselling, I was unsure what the approach would be- I imagined it would be more directly related to the faith of Islam and more prescriptive about advice that one should give to clients & how that advice should be given.
The course was a short 12 week course, the beginning of a very important innovative project developed by Sabnum Dharamsi and Abdullah Maynard. I found to my interest and surprise that the course was far more closely related to the conventional methods of counselling than I had expected. It was related to Islam to the extent that the spiritual side of a person’s psyche was mentioned and explored. This was a great relief to me as I was thinking it would be very prescriptive. It covered similar topics and skills as a mainstream counselling course, for example listening actively, being non judgemental, the difference between giving advice and counselling, knowing when to give direct advice and when to elicit from the client his/her own solution; avoiding saying ‘you must do this or that’. Also knowing one’s own self, since in order to be a counsellor one has to understand oneself. And one’s motives. It covered in large part what a conventional counselling course would have covered. But the extra element which was introduced and integrated into the course was an aspect of Islam which I had not really come across; a perspective which I found very helpful and enlightening to me, and very attractive, the perspective of relating your Self and your Soul, & many aspects of Islamic psychology, including knowing yourself, changing your self, grooming your self, your relationships with god your spiritual nature and other people, which weren’t really dealt with much in conventional courses.
So this course was an eye-opener to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would like to have done more, but decided against this because counselling others was not for me. However it gave me a real insight into how to counsel somebody who has a strong religious tradition, helping them to feel at ease and showing them that counselling wasn’t something alien belonging to Western secular society- in fact it is part of traditional Islamic society as well. I found this extraordinarily interesting and very productive for my own development. So even if the student decides not to go further and become a counsellor, the course will help anyone’s personal development, whether Muslim or not.
Julia Khadijah Lafene September 2016
Having a background in the Islamic Sciences, often many theoretical concepts can remain abstract. IC theory has helped me to apply the theory in to practice… in the real world. This has made the theory much more accessible for me. I felt that Sabnum’s influence was really impressive.
Unfortunately we didn’t have time to do one on one tutor discussions. Due to the gender imbalance, I felt that Sabnum went out of her way to make us more comfortable, which helped us (men) to become more relaxed and contribute to the group more.
The course has helped me to function with clients of various cultures, genders, religion and political views. It has helped me to respect differences and realise how cultural values operate in the counselling process.
Imam Bilal Ali, Level 3, 2014
The work of Stephen Maynard and Associates and their Islamic Counselling Training is outstanding. I have visited the students and Sabnum and Abdullah for many years. Their work is steeped in compassion and wisdom. Drawing on both Islamic teachings and rich Humanistic Psychology they manage to create a confluence of theories and practices for use in counselling. They are a rarity for successfully doing this.
The training offers a pathway for individuals wishing to practice as counsellors. All along the way, the training supports individuals to become accomplished practitioners – from certificate stage right through to diploma. I am consistently filled with joy when I meet everyone engaged in the training and I know that work in the community benefits from their input.
“I can never thank Allah for such an amazing and enriching opportunity. We go through life trying to find answers to things and forget the answers are within us, if only we reflect”
“It has given me the courage to face the truth with gentleness.”
“I would say each and every lesson on this course has given me some insight on how I am within myself and how I deal with and see others. Most important however, I feel that I have gained much in spirituality and can now say that I truly feel Allah’s Bounty, His Grace and Mercy in everything”
