The History of The Lateef Project
Pre- The Lateef Project
First there was Islamic counselling.
In 1996, married counsellors, Sabnum Dharamsi and Abdullah Maynard developed Islamic Counselling after gaining permission from their Shaykh.
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri, a Shaykh of Tasawwuf from the Shadhiliyya order. who has written two books; ‘The Cosmology of the Self’ and ‘The Journey of the Self’, both of which framed Quran and Islamic teachings in a psychological way, enabling an understanding of human life as developmental and in which there may be healing.
His wife Aliya Haeri a trained transpersonal psychologist had addressed the healing aspect coining the term Islamic Counselling and running a 5-day training course that Sabnum and Abdullah both attended.
In 1998, they were approached by An Nisa who had developed a working relationship with an FE college in Brent, with the aim to providing accredited training courses in Islamic counselling. The first Islamic Counselling (IC) vocational training course at level 2 was provided. This was followed in 1999 by the first NVQ level 3, and the first professional qualification the NVQ4 in 2000, a two-year training program.
The NVQ4 qualification in 2000/ 2001 was the first professional independently verified Islamic Counselling training program. It was recognized across the UK and the European union. But before it was complete in the USA there was 9/11. In the context of the new war on terror the partnership between Stephen Maynard and Associates, (the training and consultancy partnership of Abdullah and Sabnum).
An Nisa and the training college ended, leaving 8 students without a course to complete. Abdullah and Sabnum contacted the award body (The Counselling and Psychology Central Award Body – CPCAB) and under Stephen Maynard & Associates, the agency went through the process of becoming a registered training provider in counselling. The 8 students subsequently completed their Level 4 in Islamic Counselling through Stephen Maynard & Associates.
From this initial group of Islamic counsellors, in 2002, Fatima Elguenuni went on to develop with Kensington and Chelsea Children’s and Adolescents Mental Health as part of the NHS, The Arabic Children and Families service, the first Islamic Counselling service.
Sabnum and Abdullah for a while focused on other ventures, by the late noughties returning Islamic Counselling. Islamic Counselling courses has resumed, Abdullah wrote the Department of Health Muslim Mental Health Scoping Report and became engaged in the NHS program Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health. This was the attempt to turn around the brief of a Muslim Community Development worker in Birmingham. The Birmingham work included training Imams in mental health and Islamic Counselling so that they could understand and speak to these in Friday prayers / refer Muslims who needed them to NHS services.
Birmingham Solihull Mental Health Trust was experiencing opposition to developing the Zinnia Centre from local Muslims – one of the trained Imams spoke of changing public opinion. At the same time , it was found by the Aap Ki Awas Project’s research that only a third of Muslims would see mental health support from the NHS. This challenged the Trust in relation to the Muslim community, Abdullah Maynard was in the room when an open-minded Trust Chief Executive considered what could be done differently.
An Islamic Counselling, telephone based, assessment referral service for Birmingham, working in partnership with the NHS was suggested and agreed. And so, The Lateef Project was established.
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