The seventh annual Muslim Mental Health Conference, the only event of its kind in the nation, will take place March 26-29 at the Dearborn Inn in Dearborn, Michigan.
This year’s conference will focus on mental health issues across faith communities guided by the theme of "Trauma and Healing through Prayer." Topics will include human trafficking, domestic violence, preventing the tragedy of suicide and addressing trauma within a congregation.
Featured presenters will be Kimberly Konkel, associate director for health with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Center and Jeff Putthoff, a Jesuit priest, youth development specialist and social entrepreneur. Participants will also hear from other academic and faith leaders during the four-day event.
“We have presenters coming from as far away as Israel and Australia,” said conference organizer and MSU assistant professor of psychiatry Farha Abbasi. “We received more than 40 abstracts and had to work hard to select the 20 speakers who we felt would help us present the most beneficial program that we could.”
In addition to Friday and Saturday sessions focused on Islamic models of psychology, marriage and counseling, as well as a TED-style panel discussion on bipolar disorder, an optional tour of 10 Dearborn-area Mosques will be available. The tour is limited to 50 people, but it is open to anyone interested in attending.
The Muslim Mental Health Conference is sponsored by the MSU Department of Psychiatry, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Office of the Provost, Clinton Eaton Ingham Community Mental Health Agency and the MSU Institute of International Health.
To register or learn more about other featured presentations, visit the conference website or call (517) 353-4363. Registration deadline is March 12.