Application of Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP) and Its Clinical Outcome on Psychological Distress Among American Muslims in Outpatient Therapy

by Keshavarzi, H., Khan, F., Ahmad, M., Ashai, S. & Sanders, P.

Although individuals frequently turn to religion and spirituality in times of crises and other mental health concerns (Vieten & Lukoff, 2022; Yamada et al., 2020), limited research explores its utility when purposefully integrated into mental health treatment, especially in Muslim populations. While there is evidence for the clinical efficacy of Islamic adaptations of cognitive and rational therapies for Muslim patients, there are very few clinical outcome studies on inherently Islamic models of psychotherapy (Hook et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2007; Worthington & Sandage, 2001). The present study explored the clinical efficacy of an Islamic model of psychotherapy, known as Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP; Keshavarzi et al., 2020) through a practice-based evidence approach. Five clinicians, trained in the TIIP model, offered services to 107 patients for 420 sessions at an outpatient mental health center tailored to address Muslim mental health concerns. The therapist session checklist indicated that TIIP practitioners not only utilized Islamic spiritual interventions but also integrated cognitive and emotion-focused interventions into the TIIP model of care. The outcomes of the study demonstrated a reduction in clinical distress as measured by Clinically Adaptive Multidimensional Outcome Survey and a reduction in functional distress through clinical outcomes in routine evaluation over time, indicating preliminary evidence for the efficacy of TIIP in application to Muslim patients. Process variables such as session intentions, counseling topics, as well as specific interventions from the TIIP model are presented.