1. Running head: PHOENIX METRO IMAMS COUNSELING SERVICES 1
Phoenix Metro imams and their role in serving the counseling needs of local Muslims
Samer Naseredden
Arizona State University

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Abstract
Muslims in America are a rapidly growing minority group with little empirical research in the
area of mental health. The purpose of this investigative pilot study is to explore the Imams role in
serving as mental health providers for their congregations and determine if an in depth study is
warranted. Eight local Imams, in the local Phoenix Metro area were interviewed in person at
their respective mosques. Results indicate a need for mental health professionals and Imams to
work together in order to provide more adequate services and a baseline of prevalent issues in
their respective communities. Our conclusion is that more in depth and compelling research is
needed.
Keywords: Muslim, Imam, Counseling, Mental Health

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Phoenix Metro imams and their role in serving the counseling needs of local Muslims
Background and Aims:
Researchers under the support of the National Institute of Mental Health conducted the
National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a study focused on documenting the
prevalence and severity of specific mental disorders (Kessler, 2013). A few of the principal
findings of the study were in regard to the failure and delay in initial treatment contact as well as
the use of mental health services (Kessler, 2013). The study indicates that the mental health care
system does not sufficiently insufficiently keep up with with the needs of consumers and that
improvements in the areas of speed initiation, quality, and duration of treatment are needed
(Kessler, 2013). The study further reports, of those who do receive treatment, only 28% receive
it from mental health specialists (Kessler, 2013). Kessler (2013) reports that a considerable
percentage of people, especially those who associate with a particular religion, are seeking help
from a counselor or spiritual advisor outside of a mental health setting, a significant implication.
The unfortunate truth that the mental health community is arguably failing to provide adequate
treatment to those in need only points to an even more dismal outlook on those without mental
health training (Worthington Jr., 1986).
In the Muslim community, imams and other community mosque leaders are often sought
out for not only spiritual support, but also mental health support (Khan, 2006). Although many
imams and other community leaders that congregation members look up to for spiritual guidance
are qualified to tackle spiritual problems, they are often unequipped to deal with many mental
health and social service issues (Haque, 2004). Although many seminary colleges and other
religious training programs include counseling and social service courses in their curriculums,
traditional Muslim imams that have studied overseas have not had these trainings. Instead, it is

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often assumed that Muslim imams will refer to Islamic teachings (Qur’an and prophetic
tradition) for solutions to community members’ problems. The prevalence of Muslim imams
thrust into the role of paraprofessional counselors and mental health service provider’s demands
examination into the nature and extent of counseling needs in the Muslim community and an
evaluation of these imam’s roles in providing assistance.
Methods:
This investigative pilot study was conducted interviewing eight local mosque imams
from the Phoenix valley metro area. Interviews were scheduled at locations convenient to the
imams, typically their respective mosques. Imams were asked the following 10 questions:
1. As the imam of your community, how often, if ever, did you find yourself in the position
of counselor or social service provider?
2. What was the nature of the issues or problems you were assisting people with?
3. Do you encounter any difficulty in trying to help them face their challenges? What are
some of the stressors that make this job more difficult or overwhelm you in doing this
type of work?
4. Have you ever had any previous formal training or experience in the area of counseling?
5. Are there any new issues that are becoming more prevalent than before?
6. What problems do community members face openly and accept the need for change?
What other problems are people struggling to accept and therefore overcome?
7. How comfortable do you feel about dealing with family or domestic violence issues?
8. As a person who has offered counseling and other social services, how effective a role
have did you play in helping people solve their issues and move forward?

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9. What can mosques and other Muslim organizations do to help secure the emotional
health and well being of individuals and families?
10. What help, knowledge, and information would assist imams to better help community
members with their family, social services, counseling, and mental health concerns?
Results:
Interviews were conducted at locations convenient for the imams, typically their office or
local mosques. Imams expressed various frequencies of dealing with counseling concerns; two of
the imams (n=2) reported approximately 15-20 interactions per year; three imams (n=3) reported
an average of one interaction per week; the final three (n=3) reported an average of 2-3
interactions on a weekly basis. The nature of these issues differed for imams but the predominant
issues all imams shared were marital and parental problems. Two imams (n=2) strictly reported
dealing with marital and parental issues between families, a third imam (n=1) reported the same,
only adding a third issue, people searching for prospective spouses, while a fourth imam (n=1)
reported dealing with marital, parental, and financial issues between families or business
partners. The other four imams (n=4) expressed sentiments that they had “seen it all”, adding in
addition to marital and parental issues, premarital counseling, divorce adjustment, religious
issues, workplace issues, personal issues such as working through depression, managing
emotions, overcoming addictions and compulsions, and surviving financial hardships.
The eight imams provided an array of answers with respect to difficulties, challenges, and
stressors when it comes to their roles as counselors. The most common response (n=5) was in
regards to peoples varying mentalities and cultures acting as roadblocks of progress with many
clients. Imams provided examples such as varying family dynamics, strict beliefs about how
families should run, and religio-cultural misinformation such as only adhering to reciting the

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Qur’an over established medical treatments or therapy. The next most common challenge (n=4)
reported was that most problems stemmed from basic communication problems between family
members. Three issues frequently (n=3) reported were: 1) related to the generational gap
between parents and children, 2) people’s ignorance and lack of understanding of the seriousness
of their words and actions, 3) that many problems were too far deep-seated to resolve by the time
people sought counsel. Other moderately reported stressors (n=2) were the following: the hyper
sexualized society and culture of freedom dominant in America; the time-consuming nature of
irrelevant stories; people’s excessive communication via phone; and the regularity of multiple
sessions needed; the lack of follow up by many people; the emotional toll of counseling others;
the difficulty and lack of success with marital and divorce issues; the emotional instability and
lack of self-control of many people; and the difficulty of people seeking counsel in regards to
uncooperative family members. Individual imams (n=1) provided responses such as the
uncooperative nature of people accepting referrals, negative assumptions and negative thinking,
language barriers, excessively dependent or irrational requests, cases with legal implications,
people not accepting the reality about themselves, others, or their circumstances, and the
difficulty in that each issue is unique and different.
Many imams (n=5) have received formal training through workshops and trainings done
by Muslim organizations and Muslim professionals, while one of the five has also taken conflict
resolution trainings through his work as an engineer and read books on related topics that have
assisted him in his work as a counselor. The final three imams had no formal trainings but one of
the three added he has researched counseling practices online.
Questions on the comfort level of dealing with domestic violence cases brought about a
range of different answers. Three imams (n=3) expressed a strong understanding of their own

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limitations, alluding to being comfortable mediating resolutions for some situations while
referring many women to social workers or domestic violence shelters, or in certain cases, the
police. Only one imam (n=1) felt comfortable handling domestic violence cases entirely, having
dealt with many before and taken workshops conducted by Muslim mental health professionals.
He further reported learning through personal research and professional trainings on topics such
as “crisis management and constructive confrontation”. Two imams (n=2) explained their
practices of using Islamic guidance, for example the rights of husband and wife on one another,
the importance of being conscious of God at all times, and being loving and merciful with our
families. One of these two imams added that if unsuccessful, he often recommends temporary
separation or divorce depending on the severity of cases. Another imam (n=1) always refers
domestic violence cases to either another more experienced imam or a Muslim social worker.
The final imam (n=1) had no experience with domestic violence cases, citing the taboo nature of
domestic violence issues being the reason for the infrequency of such cases being presented.
Imams interviewed about their overall success in counseling community members offered
a range of answers, with imams providing percentage ranges varying from 20-25% for one imam
(n=1), and 50-60% for two others (n=2). Four imams (n=4) expressed moderate success rates,
mentioning the lack of follow up as an obstacle in accurately determining the effectiveness of
counseling. The final two imams (n=2) explained many factors play into success rates such as,
the nature and severity of the issue at hand, a person seeking counsel upfront versus a person
being referred by a friend or family member, and multiple sessions as opposed to single
meetings.
When questioned about what could assist the community in preventing problems from
occurring and intervening when they do occur, the imams offered several thoughts. Four imams

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(n=4) mentioned specifically that trainings and workshops for imams conducted by professionals
were helpful, three specifically emphasized relationship counseling on related topics of
premarital counseling, marital, and parental issues. One of these three imams specifically
mentioned relationship counseling issues over mental health issues because those “More serious
issues need to be referred to professionals, in general many imams have the wrong approach
when it comes to helping people.” One imam further added that the professional mental health
field has a lot to offer Muslim imams and the Muslim traditions of Qur’an and Sunnah have a lot
to offer the mental health field also. Two other imams (n=2) believed that Muslim imams did not
need counseling training and the like, one imam mentioned, “Imams mainly know how to
counsel, only a few do not know very (much) the law of the country.” Two others (n=2) did not
mention anything regarding trainings or workshops. Four imams also mentioned (n=4) that
programs for the greater community are beneficial on issues of healthy family dynamics, rights
and responsibilities of the husband and wife, parenting, and premarital preparation. Two other
imams (n=2) disagreed and found these community programs an ineffective use of efforts. They
believe Muslim mental health professionals should target supporting those individuals that
frequently deliver Friday sermons, more specifically, train them on relevant family and mental
health issues. These imams feel that those who attend community workshops generally are those
who least need them, while those most in need would never attend such an event; it is for this
reason they believe that the Friday sermons are the perfect medium for change. The two final
imams (n=2) had no thoughts specifically on community lectures and workshops, one however
added that mosque need to hire trained, professional counselors because many conservative
Muslims only trust the imams at the mosque solely based on their association with Islam and the
mosques.

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Discussion:
The imams interviewed provided us with valuable insight into the high prevalence of a
wide spectrum of issues expanding far beyond religious and spiritual issues. The results show
imams are expected to assist with counseling issues often traditionally addressed by mental
health professionals. This finding indicates many challenges for both mental health professionals
and imams to work together to assure adequate services are being provided to those in need. The
predominant themes among all imams were serious marital, family, or other relationship issues.
The many reports of marital issues in combination with the infrequent use of premarital
counseling services provided to community members are a major cause for concern. A meta-
analytic review of the effectiveness of premarital counseling found that the average participant of
premarital prevention programs experiences a 30% increase in measures of outcome success for
both the long and short term (Williamson, Trail, Bradbury, & Karney, 2014). Several studies
have highlighted the importance of premarital counseling, especially amongst young couples, a
customary practice for many Muslims (Zlotogora & Shalev, 2014). Premarital counseling
training is a major necessity for all imams to be well versed in, and prepared to offer to engaged
and newlywed couples. Imams who frequently perform marriages need to be informed about the
importance of premarital counseling and encouraged to limit the marriages they perform to those
that have completed premarital counseling or are confident in their readiness for marriage.
The outlining of the prevalence of specific challenges imams are facing, offers imam
counseling training endeavors a clear guideline on where to direct efforts. The imams’ high
reports of challenges stemming from cultural factors suggest a need for culturally nuanced
counseling practices. David Hodge and Aneesah Nadir suggest utilizing cognitive approaches,
which are relatively consistent with Islamic values, and repackaging the precepts in terminology

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that reflects Islamic teaching (Hodge & Nadir, 2008). Inadequate communication was frequently
cited as a problem, indicating this needs to be an area of focus. Other collaborative training
efforts should address all of the aforementioned issues and be prioritized based on report
frequency. Based on the breadth of topics that pose challenges, a dedicated portion of time
should emphasize developing imams’ relevant counselor skills such as communication, building
rapport, empathy, flexibility, acceptance, and self-awareness. Moreover, mental health
professionals and researchers in the field need to cooperate together to outline essential
principles and concepts with respect to counseling methodologies, theories, techniques, and skills
fundamentally relevant and practically sensible for imams.
Our findings suggest that many imams acknowledge the importance of addressing and
resolving the numerous multi-faceted issues plaguing the Muslim community. Although a few
imams upheld the old-fashioned mindset of indifference regarding much of what the professional
domain has to offer, the majority of imams displayed openness toward learning valuable skills
and refining their understandings of counseling processes.
In approaching imams, it is our recommendation based on the sentiments of the imams
that professionals must first acknowledge many imams have developed a breadth of counseling
experience. This experience, along with previous trainings, have enlightened these imams to a
basic understanding of the counseling process and thus inspired high self-efficacy reports
relating to counseling services. Although imams’ lack of professional qualifications may be
cause for hesitation in fully endorsing this framework of counseling treatment, it is a reality that
will inevitably continue and therefore must be addressed systematically. A balanced approach
would entail an acknowledgement of imam’s previous experiences and a focus on refining of
skills and filling in gaps of knowledge as opposed to a basic and fundamental counseling training

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program. Further, the cases of imams needing serious and in-depth reshaping of their counseling
methods should be viewed as the exception and not the rule. It should also be noted that several
imams expressed logistical concerns about the feasibility of imams all meeting together therefore
creative use of technology and the Internet may be warranted. Future directions should focus on
addressing the mental wellbeing of communities and develop interventions aimed at improving
psychosocial measures.
Limitations:
There are several limitations to this pilot study that deserve comment. The small sample
size used is too small to be reliable as no mean difference can be determined. Furthermore the
self-reported nature of the information provided offers much to be desired in terms of
codifiability and valid analysis. Future directions need to evaluate imams in a more concrete
ways and use scientifically developed measures of counseling evaluation. Controlling for factors
such as culture, acculturation, and familsm of imams and their communities may produce more
valid results that would be generalizable to the demographic at hand. Additionally, a
comprehensive study must include data from congregants receiving counseling or support.
Conclusion:
Although Muslim imams are doing an admirable job and finding modest success serving
as the primary-counseling providers for the local Muslim community, modifications to the
current structure of Muslim mental health and social services are needed. Having had very little
to no formal training in counseling, the majority of these imams need increased support from
mental health professionals to fulfill the needs of their local communities. There is no doubt that
imams are a key component to the mental health stability of individuals and the preservation of

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strong Muslim families. As such, Imams need more support from mental health professionals to
fulfill this vital role in improving the unmet psychosocial needs of the Muslim community.

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References
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Hodge, D. R., & Nadir, A. (2008). Moving toward culturally competent practice with Muslims:
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Kessler, Ronald (2013). National Comorbidity Survey: Reinterview, 2001-
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Khan, Z. (2006). Attitudes toward counseling and alternative support among Muslims in Toledo,
Ohio. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 1(1), 21-42.
Williamson, H. C., Trail, T. E., Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (2014). Does premarital
education decrease or increase couples’ later help-seeking?. Journal of Family
Psychology, 28(1), 112.
Worthington Jr., E. L. (1986). Religious Counseling: A Review of Published Empirical
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Zlotogora, J., & Shalev, S. A. (2014). A long-term follow up of premarital counseling in the
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