About Us | Immhcanada

About Us

Based on Bill Locke of the Capacity Builders's year-long consultations across North America with Muslim social workers, Mental Health Professionals, practitioners, Religious leaders, and community-based social services agencies.

Why

It is known from experience and research that hatred of people based on their race, gender, religious beliefs, and cultural heritage leads to intergenerational trauma, grief, and repressed anger. Internalization of negative stereotypes can have a devastating and long-lasting negative impact on the Individual, their families, and the community's well-being. Muslim social workers and mental health professionals, practitioners, and religious leaders have identified the most vulnerable populations to be: women, youth, newcomers, refugees from war-torn areas, and people struggling with gender identity, sexual orientation and underlying mental health conditions. For decades Canadian Muslims, who are providing Social and Mental Health Services, have been raising red flags over the lack of a cohesive, professionally researched, collaborative national strategy; to address holistically the various challenges Canadian Muslims are struggling with. The past three years of social isolation have exasperated the challenges of post-traumatic stress, domestic violence, anxiety, distrust, and depression.

What

Mandate of the Institute for Muslim Mental Health- Canada is to establish:

Centre of Excellence: Develop and Enhance programming, and services that address, and promote mental health supports and treatments, that are culturally and spiritually compatible with the needs of Muslim clients. Develop and Promote social and family services and resources, for Wrap Around trauma-informed care that will enhance resiliency and recovery Promote and enhance counseling services that are professional and compatible to the client’s, cultural and spiritual needs

Knowledge Hub: To act as a clearing house for research in areas of concern, that will inform practice and program development. Initiate learnings from Indigenous Elders- adapting the model of restorative justice, and healing circles in partnership with Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Winnipeg To offer support services and therapeutic counseling to victims of hate-based violence, domestic and gendered violence, discrimination, and racism. Enhance capacity building of Community Resiliency drawing from spiritual and cultural strengths. Train volunteers in Mental Health First Aid and grief support from across Canada. Develop peer support group

Anti-Islamophobia/Anti-Racism Education: To conduct and support research on the impact of Islamophobia on the psychological, economic, social, and mental health of Muslims. Organize sector specific training on building resistance to Islamophobia. Develop spiritual and psychological counseling models for specific populations to address internalized Islamophobia, self-isolation, and vicarious trauma.

How

[Original size for Website] Canadian Muslims Mental health, Wellness, and Resiliency (600

Inaugural Conference - November 12th and 13th, 2022, Winnipeg: Outcomes

Finalized the Terms of Reference
Organisational Structure and Administration of the Institute
To enhance collaboration amongst stakeholders for cohesive services
To develop a resource directory
To establish a digital platform where professionals, practitioners and leaders will network
Determined the start-up date

READ THE CONFERENCE FINDINGS HERE:

Who

Islamic Social Services Association Inc. (ISSA) is a not-for-profit registered charitable organization, established in 1999 in North America. In 2003, it split in two sister organizations: ISSA USA and ISSA Canada. ISSA also established the Canadian Muslim Women Institute in 2006 and Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute in 2010. ISSA is an organization that is recognized for its lead in culturally and spiritually compatible family supports, services, counseling, and building capacity within the community and larger society. ISSA has published 24 sector-specific toolkits about Islam and Muslims. ISSA also offers anti-racism and anti islamophobia trainings (Visit our website at issacanada.com) ISSA led year long consultations across North America with professionals, community leaders, practitioners and Muslim social services focusing on the Mental Health, and family challenges facing Canadian Muslims and the subsequent impact of Islamophobia and other social issues on the community. Consensus was reached that ISSA should take the lead on this project.

Visit issacanada.com

Key Activities

drawing-businesswoman-thinking-with-idea-as-keyhole-with-helping-hand-holding-success-key-

Support Research: Conduct and gather research and statistics on the psychological, economic, and social impact of

Mental health Issues Including Islamophobia affecting Canadian Muslims, inclusive of the intersectionality of gender, age, race, socioeconomic, special needs, and resident status,
Develop a spiritual counseling model to address internalized Islamophobia, social isolation, and vicarious trauma of community members.

Organize Events: Hold national conferences, workshops, and symposiums to share knowledge, create relationships, and build trust between stakeholders and mainstream society.

Promote best Practices: Identify and promote successful strategies, models, and methods that improve mental health among those with the most pressing needs.

Spur Growth: Scaling and replicating successful models of mental health services.

Develop and Deliver Training Initiatives that educate and support professionals among a variety of disciplines and faith leaders in their efforts to bring wellness through workshops, webinars, E-learning, forums, and peer-to-peer networks.

Develop collaborations to increase mental health for Muslims.

Advocate for Change: Stem Islamophobia, by championing policies that increase equality and respect in education, employment, justice, policing, and the courts.

Approach

Support Existing Stakeholders: The Institute will support existing partners and stakeholders who are providing direct services and delivering frontline programs by empowering and equipping these organizations.

Avoid Duplication: The Institute will promote existing excellent models of services and programs, and champion the great work already being done by individuals and organizations on the frontlines.

Engage and Develop New Partners and stakeholders ideally positioned to begin providing those services such as Muslim communities, their leaders, staff, and families.

Target Populations

The institute is focused on the wellness and resilience of Muslim individuals, their families, and communities.

As described in RATIONALE, above, among the Muslim populations with the most pressing mental health needs are women trapped in abusive relationships, second-generation youth in conflict with their parents and caregivers, and refugees suffering from trauma associated with the crises that they fled and the displacement that has followed.

Each of these sub-populations faces unique issues and warrants customized strategies and approaches. For example, reaching out and supporting women in abusive relationships will require different paths and forms of support compared to disaffected second-generation youth. This, in turn, means that a different population may involve a different sector. At-risk youth can be reached in schools within education systems by their teachers, guidance counselors, and peers. Their faith community can also play a significant role, in offering summer camps.

Conversely, some of the needs and solutions are common to wider populations, especially among racialized people and newcomers from different backgrounds. In addition, many of the effective strategies are transferable, relevant, and beneficial to the wider BIPOC populations. For example, the strategies that are aimed at enhancing wellness among youth in first-generation immigrant, refugee, and other vulnerable families apply to Muslim families as well as youth and families from different backgrounds and cultures.