We've all heard that optimism helps lead to a happier, more fulfilling and productive lifestyle, but how do we practically translate that into our lives? What are the connections between thinking and feeling and how do we improve our thoughts in order to improve our emotional health?

Madina Institute U.S.A & Muslim Wellness Foundation, Inc.'s Atlanta Chapter are very pleased to host Nasir Al-Amin for a workshop titled, Mind Over Mood: Essentials for Emotional Sef-Care! This 3 hour workshop will answer all the above questions and will also teach you the skills to incorporate our religious traditions (Qur'an & Hadith, etc.) into Rational Emotional Behavioral Therapy (REBT). Nasir will cover the 7 Essentials for Optimal Emotional Health during this talk as well.

The “Mind over Mood” workshop is ideal for community figures engaged in pastoral care, as well as individuals interested in understanding the essential role emotions play in our daily lives. This workshop can be of significant benefit to emotionally distressed individuals experiencing difficulty reconciling religious beliefs and manifest emotional issues (“I have faith, but feel depressed”). Therefore, this workshop will provide faith-based communities with the essential knowledge and skills to carefully deal with the emotional problems their religiously-inclined members face.

About Nasir Al-Amin:

Nasir Al-Amin is counselor with 15 years of experience, working both domestically, in the United States and internationally, in the Middle East. In 2001, he completed his undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Psychology. In 2004, he obtained a graduate degree in Social Work (MSW) from Columbia University. Over the course of his academic and professional career he has gained a rich experience working at the United Nations, a Domestic Violence Shelter, a Transitional Living Center and Drop-In Shelter for the homeless, as well as counseling within the education system.

After receiving his MSW and gaining substantial work experience, he furthered my graduate education by pursuing professional development training in psychotherapy. In 2011, he completed the following courses at TAPE Continuing Educational Services in Toronto, Canada: “Introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,” “Depression and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,” and “Anxiety and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.” Subsequently, in 2013 he obtained both a Primary Certification and Advanced Practicum Certification in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) from the Albert Ellis Institute in New York. Additionally, in preparation for work with faith-based communities, he completed one semester of the Mu’allif Mentorship Program (MMP), which focuses on training Muslim professionals for pastoral care and community service within the American and Canadian Muslim community.

The approach he uses to help those he serves is called Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). REBT is a belief-oriented psychotherapy approach, which contends that emotional disturbance is not the result of events in our lives, rather emotional disturbance is the result of the beliefs we have about such events. It places emphasis on changing how we feel by changing how we think. Since it is a belief-oriented approach it can be easily modified to various religious beliefs. This religious-sensitivity complements my professional and spiritual aspirations to advance a religiously-sensitive therapeutic approach for Muslims confronting emotional issues (depression, anxiety, shame and unhealthy anger).