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Often times, mental health and domestic violence are viewed as taboo topics in our community. We dislike talking about these issues although we recognize their present reality. It may be that we’re unsure on how to approach and handle a family member suffering from mental health problems, or perhaps we want to help a friend experiencing domestic violence, but don’t know where to start. The unfortunate truth is that disregarding these topics and ignoring these existing situations does not make them go away. However, it could make the issue much more grave.

The Muslim Wellness Foundation of Atlanta hosted a mental awareness workshop given by Dr. Fahad Khanat at Masjid Al-Farooq. Dr. Khanat is a trained psychologist and adjunct professor at Concordia University Chicago.

One of the most important topics discussed at the workshop was the necessity of therapy in general. Individuals who suffer from mental illness are highly advised to seek therapy along with receiving prescribed medication. However, therapy is also a useful advantage for any individual, couple, or relationship. It helps put things into perspective, and allows people to move forward with healthy relationships based on open-communication and understanding.

The purpose of this event was to advise Muslim community leaders on strategies to approach mental health and domestic violence, and how to refer any brother, sister or family affected to the right resources. The main reason the workshop directly focused on community leaders is because Muslim members of our community often tend to seek guidance from their local imams in times of calamity.

The Muslim Wellness Foundation has bi-monthly meetups, and invite anyone interested in mental health to get involved regardless of their professional background.

For more details about the organization, events or how to get involved follow them on Facebook.

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