Counseling and Psychotherapy with Arabs & Muslims

Book excerpt: The long shadow of September 11 has awakened a widespread desire to understand more about Arab and Islamic cultures. In this book, a respected expert in the field provides a history of the region’s people and an exploration of their mental health issues, including the impact of western civilization in the Middle East and the negative reaction to western dominance among many Arabs and Muslims—plus two contributed chapters addressing Arab families in the United States and family therapy with Arab and Muslim women. “Deals directly with the consequences of simplistic stereotyping of Arabic and Muslim people following the 9/11 events and the threat of terrorism.” —From the Foreword by Paul B. Pedersen, Professor Emeritus, Syracuse University “Religion plays a major role in the mental life of Arabs and Muslims, and to address this aspect in counseling and psychotherapy is a welcome intervention. I congratulate Dr. Dwairy for his impact on the progress of psychotherapy in our region.” —Ahmed Okasha, Director of WHO Collaborating Center, Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University “An excellent resource for mental health professionals working with Middle Eastern clients around the world. This text is well researched, and the author has extensive experience with this clientele and with the research literature in the counseling and psychotherapy field.” —Farah A. Ibrahim, psychologist and professor, Oregon State University “Outstanding . . . Dwairy presents a compelling historical and sociopolitical context . . . a must-have reference for any clinician working with Arab/Muslim clients.” —Sylvia Nassar-McMillan, North Carolina State University