Farhana Maleque
Outreach Manager
Farhana currently works as an assistant psychologist in a Psychology and a BME access service. She works alongside Qualified Clinical Psychologists and co-facilitates workshops on Islamic Psychology and understanding the self, and groups about trauma in both Bengali and English. Farhana has applied her learnings from the trainings she has undertaken: Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Youth and Adult Mental Health and First Aid. She has worked within the mental health field since 2012. She has experience working in an NHS community mental health service where she provided short term psychological work to those with chronic and complex mental health difficulties within the community. She also had experience working in an inpatient psychiatric hospitals in the NHS where she provided therapy to those in crisis and acutely unwell. She is actively involved in running psychological groups like mindfulness, wellbeing, recovery and self compassion, as well as working with peer support workers (individuals with lived experience) to run co-produced training and workshops for staff and the community. She has also worked as a research assistant in a number of service development projects. Her special interests lie in developing one’s self-awareness, acceptance and self-compassion. She is motivated in normalizing and reframing people’s view on different mental health difficulties by exploring and understanding a range of contributing factors. These include relationships, childhood experiences, life events, stressors and others. Farhana is passionate about working and learning from those with lived experience and carers, and wants to empower them to look at themselves and others as humans, steering away from labels and recognizing and appreciating their unique set of skills, values, hopes and dreams. Through the work with Inspirited Minds, she is eager to reach out to everyone, specifically individuals from black, ethnic minority backgrounds, the Muslim community, young people, and those who are experiencing or have experienced social injustice. She believes we should all start valuing and openly talk about our mental health like we do with our physical health.
Sadia Lira
Outreach Worker
Sadia is a Trainee Psychologist who completed her masters in Health Psychology. She is passionate about being involved with international development projects and has been away to Zimbabwe, India and Calais, France where she held workshops to encourage positive healthy behaviour. Sadia has held sessions with children, adults and refugees on mental health, HIV/aids, malaria, typhoid, hygiene, gender base violence and has also taught English on various occasions. Moreover, she regularly holds projects in her local town for homeless individuals and believes in minimising social exclusion. Sadia is particularly interested in tackling mental health issues within the Asian community as well as the broader aspect. The way mental health is discussed in relation to Asian Males is of her interest. Furthermore, she has also carried out research study (MSc) on the impact of tragic events (such as 9/11) on Muslims mental wellbeing. The study was done in order to look at how the negative events impacts Muslims coping skills. She is keen on doing further PHD research on Refugees and Muslims mental & physical health. In her pastime Sadia enjoys nature & scenic walks, drawing & sketching, playing badminton & archery. She holds a GB Archery instructor qualification! For the future, Sadia hopes (in sha Allah) to qualify as a Health Psychologist and work with vulnerable communities in the UK as well as the international development field.
Haajira Hussain
Outreach Worker
Haajira is a full-time educator via the TeachFirst Leadership Development Programme and is currently working in a secondary school in one of London’s most deprived boroughs. Her work has allowed her to recognise the dire need to create safe spaces within communities to address issues surrounding emotional stability and resilience. She has a keen interest in understanding trauma and the long-lasting impact this can have, especially within the Muslim population. She hopes to use her understanding of medical science, human behaviour and Islam to inspire a paradigm shift within people on how they view mental health.
Abutaher Miah
Outreach Worker
Abutaher graduated from the Institute of Islamic Education as a scholar in Islamic theology and Jurisprudence. He has particular strengths in communication and interfaith dialogue and sees his main strengths as adaptability, dependability and self-motivation. He furthered his studies by attending the Cambridge Muslim College and completing my Diploma in Contextual Islamic Studies and Leadership. The course enabled him to delve into various subjects including psychology and Islamic counselling. He is currently completing his thesis for his MA in Islamic studies at SOAS University. His passion is to be of assistance to people and he believes one of the ways is through the service offered by Inspirited Minds. He is fortunate to have studied Islam for a considerable period of time and this has given him a better understanding of how best to approach issues with Muslim communities.
Khudaija Ismail
Outreach Worker
Khudaija has been working in the field of mental health for over 5 years, she graduated with a degree in Psychology in 2013 and since then has had a keen interest and passion for supporting people with mental health difficulties. Her experience ranges from working on the mental health inpatient unit, to therapeutic work for individuals with various disorders. She has previously been involved in hosting a radio show in aid of spreading awareness of mental health within the Muslim Community and attempting to rid the community of the taboo associated with mental health. She aspires to continue to do such work to alleviate the stigma attached to mental health in our community.
Nasra Habane
Outreach Worker
Nasra is a Pastoral Support Advisor, working within an educational setting. She has gained much experience working with children and adults with learning disabilities and mental health through her Speech and Language Therapy degree. She has an interest in international development and has volunteered aboard on many occasions, visiting countries such as Sri Lanka and Uganda; where she led sessions based on Mental health, HIV/Aids, Sexual Reproduction and Health Rights and gender-based violence. Nasra is particularly interested in reducing the stigma of mental health within black and ethnic minority communities and hopes to play a role in shifting people’s view on mental health. After completing her Masters in Psychology, Nasra cultivated a desire to play an active role in having an open dialogue about mental health, reaching wider communities and believes she can achieve this through Inspirited Minds
Zaynab Hamdi
Outreach Worker
Zaynab is an entrepreneur who created magnetic Arabic Letters. She has a keen interest in mental health and has worked extensively in outreach over the last six years, designing workshops on topics such as depression, body image, self-esteem, how to prepare for exams and Ramadan for schools, mosques and universities.
Warisa Hussain
Outreach Worker
Warisa is an Islamic studies graduate, who holds an MA in Clinical Psychology and MSc in Child, Adolescent & Family Mental Health. She is quite passionate about contributing to positive change, human rights, social justice and women empowerment. With over 10 years of experience in working in the charity sector and providing vulnerable people support to refugees, IDP’s, Victims & survivors of domestic abuse, traumatized children/young people and victims of war /conflict; Warisa would like to provide psychosocial support to the most vulnerable members of the Muslim community. She is particularly interested in spiritual Psychology and the Islamic perspective on mental health. In her spare time, she loves traveling and volunteering.
Ferzana Patel
Research Lead
Ferzana holds a BSc in Psychology with Sociology and a BA in Islamic Theology and the Arabic Language. She has previously worked with children and young adults in a number of Islamic establishments in East London. Whilst serving as a Year 6 Primary School Teacher, in addition to delivering outstanding results, Ferzana maintained an adjunct Head of Science and Head of Numeracy role for two years as well as provided Pastoral care to both Primary and Secondary students. In 2017, she started her MSc in Health Psychology at City University of London. Her thesis focused on the exploration of UK Muslim beliefs about organ donation and their relationship with behavioural intentions and joining the organ donor register. She was awarded her MSc in 2019.
Sehar Raza
Research Lead
Sehar is currently completing her final year of Psychology BSc, with a specific interest in postnatal depression. She looks forward to taking this further in Clinical Psychology. She is very cosmopolitan having lived in Pakistan, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. She is a Research Assistant for the University of East Anglia where she codes and runs studies upon children and early word learning. She also works for MIND as a Recovery Coach where she supports clients with severe mental illness into recovering and becoming independent. On the side, she also works for the A&E Lesion at Mind for clients who need support with mental health. She also has a history of previously working as a support worker for Affinity Trust with individuals who have learning disabilities and challenging behaviours. Sehar is passionate about research in mental health following off from her final year university project being upon Schizophrenia, autism, theory of mind and negative/empathy bias. She looks forward to investigating mental health experience in the community and how it can be improved.
Saba Ikhlas Malik
Research Assistant
Saba-Ikhlas is a medical student studying in London. She is keen to promote the idea that positive mental wellbeing is the key to a successful life! She is passionate about removing the stigma we often have towards our own mental health, and believes that this puts us in the best position to help others. Saba-Ikhlas is particularly interested in working with young people at this critical and often unsupported age of development. In her spare time she enjoys creative writing, photography and horse riding as reflective outlets and as tools for self-development.
Abul Lais
Partnership Coordinator
Lais is an undergraduate in Business ICT and has managed Learning Disability/Mental Health Outreach services across the Tower Hamlets and Hackney borough in his past job roles. Currently working in an Autistic Children’s services and working part-time as a Saturday School teacher in Islamic Studies. He has and is currently volunteering in charity organisations and non profit organisations and has a keen interest in Prophetic Medicines and wants to spread the message of our Master Muhammad (PBUH) which is that the best of us is he who is best to his fellow man which has led him to want to volunteer for Inspirited Minds and incorporate Islamic solutions with practical steps of modern psychology to tackle the many taboos within the mental health field/sector, if Allah permits.
