Navigating Cultural Humility Amongst Therapists in the Context of Religious and Cultural Muslim Values

Research Poster Social & Behavioral Sciences 2025 Graduate Exhibition

Presentation by Zoya Dawar

Exhibition Number 52

Abstract

Introduction. Muslims residing in the US have increasing rates of mental health difficulties due to the rise in racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia (Eskin et al., 2020). Muslims are also less likely to seek out psychotherapy compared to other US populations (e.g., Ahmed et al., 2023). Thus, therapists' responsiveness to both the collectivistic cultural values and theological aspects of Islam when working with Muslim clients is critical. Such a shift could result in more Muslims in the U.S. entering therapy and having more successful treatment outcomes. This research examined how therapists approached culturally and religiously intricate issues related to Muslim identities in clinical video vignettes. Method. Therapist participants (N = 15; 100% female) videorecorded their therapeutic responses to two video vignettes on the platform Skillsetter.com. One vignette client identified as a queer Muslim woman; another was an atheist man struggling to marry into a religious Muslim family. Therapist responses to these vignettes were analyzed using content analysis to determine common responses to Muslim values. Results. Initial findings suggest that while many participants appeared confident in using Muslim terms (e.g., “Allah” and “Muslim”) in session, they struggled in understanding the importance of familial and collectivist values in Muslim culture (i.e., encouraging clients to separate from family units when making decisions, etc.). A subset of therapists’ responses to both vignettes (n = 10) will also be coded for cultural comfort and humility by trained raters to determine whether observer ratings of cultural comfort and humility can capture clinical instances of cultural responsiveness or unresponsiveness regarding Muslim identity. Discussion. Emergent themes will assist therapists and supervisor in developing culturally responsive stances toward Muslim clients. This will assist in encouraging Muslims to seek help and reiterate that therapy is not another space of discrimination for them.

Importance

This research is critical in addressing the utilization of cultural humility in therapy among Muslim clients in the U.S. due to sexual and religious intersectional identities. By analyzing therapist responses to clinical vignettes involving Muslim identities, this study aims to identify gaps in cultural humility and provide insights for improving therapeutic practice. Findings will inform training on cultural humility, fostering more responsive care for Muslim clients. This could encourage greater engagement with therapy and reduce the stigma of seeking mental health support amongst queer muslims, ultimately promoting better outcomes for Muslim individuals in therapy.

DEI Statement

This research has a unique focus on queer Muslims. It addresses their intersectional identity and how therapists often view it as 'conflicting identities' and address either one or the other instead of viewing them holistically. This research brings a great focus on DEI since it demands therapists to address these identities with cultural humility; nonsuperiority, open-mindedness. and respectfulness to make the client feel heard and seen in the therapeutic setting. Moreover, muslims face a lot of racism, xenophobia, and stigmatization in the US since 9/11. These strategies ensure that therapists are better equipped to serve diverse intersectional identities, fostering curiosity and acceptance for religious queer Muslims whose experiences are typically overlooked in conventional therapeutic frameworks.