Alhumdulillah, there is a growing number of schools and universities that have created a Muslim Chaplain position; though they are mostly in the Eastern parts of North America (i.e., Yale, Choate Rosemary Hall, Princeton, Duke, University of Toronto… etc).

I would also like to state that there are many more Muslim chaplains who are involved in healthcare, the military, and prison chaplaincy.

What is generally lacking right now are educational opportunities to further train those providing (or seeking to provide) Islamic chaplaincy, counseling, and youth services. Too often, I believe, counselors are provided for our youth without proper training.

God bless.

It has become a time of fitnah. Muslim children in the west are constantly exposed to negatives in society (drugs, sex, etc). Mental and spiritual support is essential especially for those who face problems at home. Younger people have the ability to change and adapt easily. A person to talk with, good advice and direction can really help in shaa Allah.

May Allah answer your plea, brother.

As Salaam Alaikum, My name is Abbdus-Salaam Musa and I’m the president of the American Islamic Indigenous Clinical Pastoral Educational Training. We are a new organization of clinically train chaplains in Clinical Pastoral Education. Our make is two Supervisors In Training (SIT) who are training individuals of all faiths. Our mission is to address the needs that are being expressed by the author.

We have professional individuals who are being trained currently in different parts of New York City. We are willing to conduct workshops and training for those who wish to receive this training from an Islamic perspective, If you or anyone else is interested I can be contacted by cell phone at 347 407-6888 or the email listed above or abdus_salaam63@yahoo.com.

We will be giving an informative program on June 30, 2013 in Queens New York if you are interested in hearing an awesome presentation given by a panelist of Medical Doctor/Chaplain, Psychologist/Chaplain, Phd. DM/Chaplain, retired Director of Minsiteral Services of NYC/Chaplain and other trained individuals. If you are interested in attending please contact me ASAP before all the tickets are gone.

Chaplain Musa

Wa ‘Alaikum As-Salam Danilo,

Alhumdulillah, I appreciate your comment and just wanted to reflect on one part of it: “if someone wants to help others stay on the right path, they must first learn about this path themselves.” I want to even break it down to simply “If you want to help others, be willing to learn yourself.”

It is my experience that counseling and spiritual care is not just about knowing an array of therapeutic techniques and interventions, but also being open to learning about what is meaningful for the one seeking counsel. In the context of faith and practice, it is also not simply about providing the “right answer.”

If the counselor simply provides what he or she believes is the “right answer,” they may miss the underlying distress that the one seeking their counseling is actually experiencing. This is why it is SO important to be trained to assess and recognize underlying spiritual and emotional distress. A lack of awareness concerning this point is also what I believe is causing part of the disconnection between our youth and Islamic centers.

Jazak Allah khair.

Thank you very much for this article. The youth is indeed essential for the future; they are the ones that will continue the legacy after we are gone from this world, and therefore it should be an absolute priority that we take care of them.

Negative influences are omnipresent these days, and to keep the young ones on the right path is no easy task – yet an extremely rewarding one. However, if someone wants to help others stay on the right path, they must first learn about this path themselves.

Bringing knowledge to people, and teaching them how to pass on this knowledge themselves, is a vital duty. Thank you once again for this article on a subject that will gain more attention insha’Allah.

Jazak’Allahu Khair

Wa ‘Alaikum As-Salam School Teacher,

Your question truly highlights one of my overall concerns in this article. As a teacher who works closely with Muslim youth and desires providing more counseling like services, what workshops and courses are available to you? Very few. Because of this, I believe it is absolutely necessary for communities to seek out certified Muslim chaplains and other professionally-trained counselors to provide workshops on techniques in counseling and spiritual care.

Presently there are no books that comprehensively introduce the approaches behind an Islamic approach to spiritual care. However, a valuable book has recently been published which looks specifically at counseling Muslims (including a chapter on Muslim youth). It is called:

Counseling Muslims: Handbook of Mental Health Issues and Interventions edited by Sameera Ahmed and Mona M. Amer

That being said, counseling in spiritual care takes a non-directive and client-centered approach. To be able to provide such care, it is necessary to be trained by someone proficient and professionally certified in this practice.

More resources are also available on my blog: http://ibrahimlong.com/muslim-chaplaincy/

God bless.

I teach at an Islamic school and sometimes speak at youth events. It is unlikely that I will be able to enroll in any chaplaincy program in the foreseeable future. Are there any books I can read to help me improve my service in my current capacity?

Jazak Allahu khayr
Was Salam