Overview

Psychological assessment of clients who identify as Muslim in Western contexts requires a careful, respectful, and culturally responsive approach. It is essential to recognise that Muslims are not a homogeneous group; they vary widely in ethnicity, nationality, cultural background, level of religiosity, migration history, length of residence in the West, and socioeconomic status.

Muslim clients may present with complex challenges related to migration, identity formation, minority status, and acculturation. Additionally, utilisation of mental health services may be limited due to cultural and language barriers and stigma, with many individuals placing greater reliance on family networks and religious or spiritual coping strategies.

This webinar will explore how clinical and cultural formulation interviews, along with culturally safe and sensitive assessment tools, can be effectively used to gather meaningful information. These approaches support the development of comprehensive cultural formulations and tailored treatment plans. Case studies will be included to enhance participants’ clinical skills and practical understanding.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this event, participants should be able to:

• Understand the complexities and challenges involved in assessing clients from Muslim backgrounds within diverse cultural and sociopolitical contexts.
• Apply assessment methods (including clinical interviews and a few culturally appropriate psychometric tools) in a culturally sensitive and thoughtful manner to gather relevant and meaningful information.
• Interpreting and integrating assessment data carefully to inform culturally responsive formulations and develop appropriate, individualised treatment plans for clients who identify as Muslim.

Presenter(s)

Dr. Nigar Khawaja

About the presenter(s)

Dr Nigar G. Khawaja (she/her) is Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and its College of Clinical Psychology. In her role as a Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, she trained postgraduate students as Clinical Psychologists. She has pioneered and implemented cultural safety and competency training programs for graduates and mental /allied health professionals. Her cross-cultural and transcultural research has examined the challenges of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and international students. She has developed culturally safe and sensitive assessment measures and interventions for the ethnic minorities in Australia. She has published 150 plus papers and presented at more than 70 international conferences. She has been successful with competitive grants and offers expert advice and consultation to government and non-government organisations. Through her public lectures and debates she educates the public and stakeholders about the issues of culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia. She was the recipient of APS Distinguished Presidential Award in 2025.

Notes

Target Audience

This activity is aimed at psychologists.

Please note:

• This is a Member Groups event. All communication will be sent to the registrants’ registered email address. This includes event reminders with details (such as the Zoom link) and any pre-event or post-event resources, if provided by the facilitators.
• A post-event email will be sent within two weeks of the event’s completion to each registrant’s registered email address. This email will include the CPD certificate, event-recording, and any additional resources shared during the session.

Duration of Access

This event will be recorded. The recording will be emailed to all registered within 2 weeks post event and available for viewing up to 90 days.

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.