2 - (SYM 147) a Psychoeducational Workshop to Facilitate Help-seeking in Muslims by Applying an Islamic Lens on Mental Health

The mental health of Muslims living in the United States (MLUS) is at-risk, due to rising discrimination and low mental healthcare utilization. Muslims resist mental healthcare due to various reasons, including stigma, negative attitudes toward help-seeking, and low knowledge about mental health and available resources. Muslims also tend to prefer religious/spiritual coping for psychological difficulties, often using it to avoid facing emotional difficulties (i.e., spiritual bypass). However, Islam highly encourages maintaining one’s health and treating illnesses. Further, many Muslims lack awareness of Islam's historical focus on mental health, instead perceiving psychology as exclusively Western due to its secular stance and appropriation of religious practices (e.g., meditation). In response, the field of Islamic Psychology has been highlighting Islamic history and teachings relevant to Muslims’ mental health. As such, we developed a culturally informed psychoeducational workshop, titled Islamic Lens on Mental Health (ILM), that we are delivering to MLUS in Florida to increase the likelihood that they will seek professional help in times of distress. The workshop was developed in consultation with Muslim mental health experts and community educators/leaders. Attendees interactively discuss various topics, such as their own views of mental health, and low help-seeking among Muslims. In return, they are taught Islamic history and teachings around mental health, how to recognize mental health issues when they arise, and how various professionals can help. They are also provided with resources to facilitate their own care, such as a database of Muslim mental health professionals licensed in Florida. Attendees take surveys upon registration (assessing various demographic variables as well as stigma, help-seeking attitudes, spiritual bypass, perceived knowledge about mental health and available resources), and retake the surveys immediately after ILM, and one month after ILM. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) will assess ILM’s effectiveness in addressing the factors that contribute to low help-seeking, multilevel modeling will assess the mediators of help-seeking behaviors over one month, and qualitative and stakeholder feedback will evaluate the program and guide future iterations. This talk will discuss our findings that guided the development and content of the workshop, including changes to the workshop following consultations, and will share results from the delivery of the workshop.