British Muslims are underrepresented in UK secular psychological well being providers, in comparison with different non secular teams (NHS Digital, 2020; Workplace for Nationwide Statistics, 2022), are much less prone to search skilled assist (Hamid & Furnham, 2013), and should expertise poorer remedy outcomes than people from different non secular backgrounds (Baker & Kirk-Wade, 2024; Mir et al., 2019). Many are involved that therapists could method faith insensitively (Mayers et al., 2007), highlighting the necessity to enhance accessibility of psychological well being providers for non secular purchasers (Ayub & Macaulay, 2023).
Proposed methods embody therapist–consumer religiosity matching and therapist respect for non secular beliefs (Mayers et al., 2007, cited in Publish & Wade, 2009), although sensible steering stays unclear. This examine explored British Muslims’ preconceptions of remedy with non-Muslim therapists to determine anticipated limitations and facilitators to engagement (Hassan et al, 2025).
What are British Muslims’ perceived limitations and facilitators to partaking in remedy with non-Muslim therapists?
Strategies
A qualitative on-line questionnaire examine was performed, recruiting British Muslims (aged 18+ with no prior expertise of receiving or delivering remedy) through Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp (June–August 2022). After on-line consent, members considered a CBT vignette and a therapist video discussing the significance of acknowledging both common consumer values or faith in remedy (Hassan et al., 2024). Contributors then offered a written response to a immediate, which requested about their views on remedy with a non-Muslim therapist.
Reflexive thematic evaluation was performed following Braun and Clarke (2006, 2019) and Robinson’s (2022) method to organising giant qualitative datasets in Excel. Responses have been iteratively coded to determine recurring themes and contradictory views. Information from each experimental circumstances have been mixed as a consequence of substantial thematic overlap. Reflexive discussions have been used to look at researcher positionality and potential biases, together with these of the lead researcher, a British-Pakistani Muslim girl.
Outcomes
Of 136 responses, 56 have been excluded for not answering the query, leaving 80 for evaluation. Most members have been feminine, Sunni, aged 18–50, and Asian or Asian British. Smaller numbers recognized as African/Black British, Arab or Arab-mixed heritage, White British, or Different.
Themes
1. Perception variations as a barrier
Some members felt elementary perception variations would hinder therapeutic connection and depth of assist. One famous a Muslim therapist has:
a greater understanding of my place as we’re located inside the identical framework.
Others felt non-Muslim therapists may tackle solely surface-level points:
a non-Muslim therapist would possibly assist me repair the issue on the floor stage however I’m not assured they’ll be capable to get to the foundation of the issue.
Some described non secular coping as options to remedy, together with…
belief in Allah, salah, dua, sturdy household and neighborhood ties.
2. Worry of judgement
Contributors expressed concern they won’t really feel understood or revered in remedy…
Non-Muslim folks have a tendency to only not perceive what it actually means to be non secular… patronising attitudes.
I’d be anxious {that a} non-Muslim therapist could be judgemental about my religion.
…Issues of systemic surveillance…
fear about being referred to Forestall… this may have an effect on my means to soundly entry remedy.
And of battle about beliefs…
I’d be anxious {that a} non-Muslim therapist could be judgemental about my religion, I’m a really conservative Muslim and consider that sharia [Islamic law] ought to be adhered to strictly.
3. Most felt remedy might be efficient with respectful, knowledgeable therapists
Most members famous remedy might be efficient if therapists have been acknowledging and respectful in the direction of particular person’s beliefs. Associated to this, an “Islamic utility” of CBT was recommended, maybe indicating that people felt that CBT ought to be sympathetic and complimentary to perception methods. Some additionally felt therapists ought to have some type of religious understanding, or perceive Muslim religion and tradition. Different valued traits included gender matching {and professional} competence, with a minority prioritising therapist ability over religiosity and a few noting differing views would possibly even be useful, offered remedy was sympathetic to their values: “getting a assorted viewpoint is useful’’.
Amongst 80 Muslim respondents, perception variations and fears of judgment hindered the work with non-Muslim therapists, although respect and cultural competence rendered remedy efficient.
Conclusions
This examine identifies perceived limitations to remedy engagement amongst British Muslims, together with perception variations, worry of judgement, and systemic mistrust. Contributors indicated remedy might be acceptable if clinicians demonstrated respect for Islamic beliefs and cultural and spiritual information and understanding. Some recommended adapting CBT to align with non secular values, though particular diversifications have been unclear.
Nevertheless, participant views on this examine replicate preconceptions somewhat than remedy experiences, and you will need to remember that precise challenges with non-Muslim therapists could differ to these anticipated. Findings additionally spotlight that Muslim communities could really feel fairly unsure in the direction of remedy previous to remedy, and may benefit from initiatives to advertise remedy and psychological well being providers locally.
For non-Muslim therapists there could also be a have to construct belief in remedy and develop religiously affirming practices in scientific care.
Strengths and limitations
This examine affords perception into British Muslims’ anticipatory fears and expectations of remedy with non-Muslim clinicians, highlighting the significance of therapist cultural and spiritual sensitivity. Nevertheless, arguably, past therapist coaching round non secular and cultural competency, it contributes little to scientific follow, as respect and acceptance for non secular variations are already core therapeutic values.
Counting on a single open-ended query additionally limits understanding of why members held explicit preconceptions and investigation of what a religiously affirming CBT would possibly contain, limiting implications for follow.
Inspecting preconceptions somewhat than lived experiences makes findings extra informative about limitations to help-seeking than remedy challenges. This limits the implications for therapist coaching past trust-building and cultural and spiritual competence for Muslim purchasers, as a result of members’ restricted remedy expertise meant they may provide little perception into what improves consolation throughout remedy. On this manner, findings could also be extra reflective of broader neighborhood attitudes, highlighting a necessity for proactive promotion of remedy/psychological well being providers inside Muslim communities.
Choice bias can be doubtless on this examine, as older adults have been underrepresented and members have been recruited through social media. This will likely restrict the extent to which findings relate to the broader Muslim neighborhood, and their total usefulness in informing non secular and cultural diversifications to remedy.
Inside this context, members talked about fears of being referred to ‘Forestall’ (CONTEST counter-terrorism technique). In consideration of the latest literature on the influence of ‘Forestall’ among the many British Muslim neighborhood, the event of a surveillance tradition and the racialisation of Islam (Bruchhaus & Abbas, 2022; Zempi & Tripli, 2022), it could have had added worth to meaningfully assess this in relation to psychological remedy entry and collaboration with non-Muslim clinicians (Younis et al., 2019).
Contributors’ reported worries of Forestall referrals spotlight the function of surveillance stigma in remedy limitations, warranting future analysis on countering it to reinforce entry.
Implications for follow
This examine means that enhancing therapist cultural and spiritual competence, somewhat than matching purchasers and therapists by religion, could also be a possible technique to improve engagement with remedy providers. It additionally highlights that demonstrating non secular and cultural competence may assist to construct belief, and suggests a necessity to advertise therapy-acceptance and tackle destructive preconceptions in the direction of remedy inside Muslim communities.
Because the examine examined solely preconceptions, future analysis ought to discover whether or not British Muslims with remedy expertise report the identical limitations and facilitators, to see how anticipated challenges manifest in follow.
Findings may make clear what constitutes really affirmative remedy, guiding therapist coaching to strengthen consumer–therapist relationships, adapt CBT for cultural and spiritual sensitivity, and navigate conditions the place scientific recommendation could battle with non secular beliefs.
Analysis may additionally study community-based methods to enhance remedy acceptance and accessibility—for instance, evaluating the influence of posters, web sites, and leaflets—and discover why some Muslims really feel much less in want of remedy as a consequence of non secular or neighborhood sources/faith, which can provide insights for non-Muslim people in search of options to formal psychological well being assist.
Extra analysis is required to outline religiously affirming remedy and tackle destructive attitudes that will impede help-seeking.
Assertion of pursuits
Ellie Davis – No battle of pursuits.
Edited by
Dr Dafni Katsampa.
Hyperlinks
Major paper
Hassan H, Lack S, Salkovskis PM, Thew GR (2025). British Muslims’ perceptions of remedy with non-Muslim therapists: A qualitative evaluation of survey responses. Psychol Psychother. 2025 Nov 14. doi: 10.1111/papt.70023.
Different references
Ayub, R., & Macaulay, P. J. (2023). Perceptions from the British Pakistani Muslim neighborhood in the direction of psychological well being. Psychological Well being, Faith and Tradition, 26, 1–16.
Baker, C., & Kirk‐Wade, E. (2024). Psychological well being statistics: prevalence, providers and funding in England.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Utilizing thematic evaluation in psychology. Qualitative Analysis in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic evaluation. Qualitative Analysis in Sport, Train and Well being, 11(4), 589–597.
Bruchhaus, J., & Abbas, T. (2025). The suspect citizen: Institutional Islamophobia, stop, and the British Muslim expertise. The British Journal of Politics and Worldwide Relations, 0(0).
Digital, N. H. S. (2020). Psychological therapies, annual report on using IAPT providers 2019‐20 ‐ NHS Digital.
Hamid, A., & Furnham, A. (2013). Elements affecting perspective in the direction of in search of skilled assist for psychological sickness: A UK Arab perspective. Psychological Well being, Faith and Tradition, 16(7), 741–758.
Hassan, H., Lack, S., Salkovskis, P. M., & Thew, G. R. (2024). Acknowledging faith in cognitive behavioural remedy: The impact on alliance, remedy expectations and credibility in a video‐vignette examine. British Journal of Scientific Psychology, 63(3), 347–361.
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Publish, B. C., & Wade, N. G. (2009). Faith and spirituality in psychotherapy: A follow‐pleasant evaluate of analysis. Journal of Scientific Psychology, 65(2), 131–146.
Robinson, O. C. (2022). Conducting thematic evaluation on transient texts: The structured tabular method. Qualitative Psychology, 9(2), 194–208.
Zempi, I., & Tripli, A. (2022). Listening to Muslim College students’ Voices on the Forestall Responsibility in British Universities: A Qualitative Research. Training, Citizenship and Social Justice, 18(2), 230-245.
Younis T, Jadhav S. Conserving Our Mouths Shut: The Worry and Racialized Self-Censorship of British Healthcare Professionals in PREVENT Coaching. Cult Med Psychiatry. 2019 Sep;43(3):404-424. doi: 10.1007/s11013-019-09629-6.
