Fatima Bashir Ilu, a Semester 2 student in the Master of Counselling programme at IMU, has proudly brought home the Best Presenter Award at the 3rd Global Muslim Mental Health Conference 2025 (GMMHC2025), held on 7–8 July 2025 at the Royal Park Hotel, UNITEN Bangi, Selangor.

Her winning presentation, titled “Bridging Faith and Counselling: A Scoping Review on Islamic Spiritual Integration in Counselling Practices and Future Prospects”, explored how spiritual values can be thoughtfully incorporated into counselling frameworks to improve culturally sensitive care within Muslim communities. Her work was guided by supervisors Dr Foo Fatt Mee and Prof Dr Haslee Sharil Lim Abdullah.

Themed “Healing Minds and Souls: Integrating Faith & Science in Overcoming Addiction,” the international conference united researchers, students, and mental health professionals to share insights and engage in dialogue on faith-based approaches to mental well-being.

In reflecting on her experience, Fatima shared:
The opportunity to share my research and present at the conference was a transformative and enriching experience, especially since it was my first professional presentation. I gained invaluable knowledge from expert speakers, plenary sessions, and fellow presenters. Meeting participants from diverse backgrounds deepened my understanding of global mental health care within Muslim contexts.

She also highlighted the personal and professional growth the event enabled:
One of the most rewarding parts was connecting with other students and professionals. The conference served as a platform for important dialogue and valuable networking. Receiving the Best Presenter Award was very humbling and reinforced my dedication to the field of counselling.

Fatima expressed heartfelt gratitude to her supervisors for their continuous support, as well as to the GMMHC 2025 organising committee for curating such an impactful and memorable event.

Her success exemplifies the core values of the Master of Counselling programme at IMU, blending academic excellence with cultural competence and community impact. We look forward to seeing more of Fatima’s future contributions in the field of counselling and mental health.

Prepared by Dr Thulasimani Munohsamy, Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences, School of Psychology and Social Sciences