Q1: What is the difference between professional coaching and therapy?
Many people ask about the difference between Islamic marriage coaching and counseling, as opposed to getting help from a licensed marriage therapist.
Coaching is solution-based and centered on what the clients are willing to do to make the marriage work. Sessions are not structured like talk therapy, but rather they are interactive, action-oriented and geared towards producing results.
For these reasons, many coaches hold the opinion that coaching produces quicker and better results. The coaching approach also minimizes the chance of fights breaking out in sessions!
Q2: What is the coach’s role in Islamic coaching and counseling?
The coach’s role is more of a guiding role. Through questions, activities, and careful analysis, the coach helps the clients realize:
- what is weakening the relationship,
- what the clients can do to fix and strengthen it,
- and what the clients should hope to gain in their marriage.
A Muslim coach will make sure their tactics and solutions are aligned with Islamic teachings. You can read more about this in Q5.
Ustadha Naielah Ackbarali is a qualified female Muslim coach and marriage counselor. She has extensive experience with Islamic coaching and Muslim marriage counseling for over a decade. She is also happily married to her husband for almost 20 years.
Q3: Does Islamic coaching and counseling work for everyone?
It really depends on the state of the marriage and how much the clients are willing to work towards improving it.
Potential clients will be given a questionnaire that they must fill out before the first meeting. This will help the coach determine if Muslima Coaching can be of service to the clients’ needs. We’re able to assess the marriage from the beginning and inform the clients if we think that we can help.
Muslima Coaching cannot help marriages that have issues with substance abuse, physical abuse, mental / personality disorders, or infidelity. Read more about Who We Cannot Help here.
Q4: Do we even need a marriage coach or counselor?
Many people claim that they’ve tried everything out there. However, when we look into their situation, what we see is that they are often acting and reacting in a way that work against encouraging long-lasting results.
This is where coaching plays its part. Through the guidance and support of another person, you are better equipped to implement the right moves in your marriage insha’Allah. Ustadha Naielah Ackbarali is a qualified female Muslim coach and counselor. She has extensive experience with Islamic coaching and Muslim marriage counseling for over a decade. She is also happily married to her husband for almost 20 years.
Some people think that their marriage problems are overly complicated and can never be resolved. “You don’t understand how big our problems are,” is a common phrase that runs through the minds of these types of people. That may be true but what they don’t understand is that for most people, many miscommunications and differences only require simple solutions. The hardship comes in living up to them, and this is why we believe coaching is a must. You don’t have to be alone. We can help inshaAllah.
Q5: Why “Islamic” couples coaching and counseling?
Many relationship coaches focus on the worldly aspects of being in a relationship, whereas for a Muslim, the whole point of being married and putting in the work to make the marriage successful is for Allah’s sake alone. In truth, this is where the real blessing (baraka) and success (tawfiq) comes from, providing that the client and coach both make a very sincere intention.
The tactics and strategies used at Muslima Coaching are rooted in what Islam encourages and permits in a marriage between a Muslim man and a Muslim woman. It focuses on promoting, nurturing, and instilling gracious Islamic character (akhlaq) in a marriage, with a unique understanding of each client’s individual circumstances.
By coaching with a Muslim coach and counselor, you already have so much in common because you share a spiritual connection together, and this creates something more beautiful and more powerful than with anyone else. The goal is the same. It’s Allah, and Allah alone.
Interested in our Islamic coaching services? Want to work with a female Muslim counselor? Click here for more details.
