The Imam and the Mental Health of Muslims: Learning from Research with Other Clergy

Abstract

Clergy occupy an important position when it comes to addressing the mental health of their congregants, according to research spanning several decades in communities across the United States (Weaver, 1998). At this time, limited research supports that this statement also applies to imams and Muslims. What still needs to be done in order for us to draw solid conclusions about how imams impact the mental health of Muslims in their communities? This report summarizes major trends and findings from the literature on clergy and imams and suggests a framework for future studies to address mosquebased mental health counseling needs of Muslims.