18th Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference
SILOS TO
SYSTEMS:
Weaving Together the Strands of Muslim Mental Health
April 10–11, 2026 | Metro Detroit, USA + Online
Soho Banquet Hall & Events Center
34615 Warren Rd, Westland, MI 48185
The need for collaborative systems is urgent. This year’s conference calls on us to break barriers and build pathways of healing rooted in Islamic values and Muslim lived experiences.
Join us for two days of learning, healing, and collaboration with researchers, clinicians, students, community leaders, and faith leaders, all dedicated to advancing Muslim Mental Health.
Registration Opens December 1
Silos to Systems: Weaving Together the Strands of Muslim Mental Health
As the global mental health landscape evolves, the need for cohesive, collaborative systems has never been more urgent. This year’s conference calls on us to come together—across disciplines, institutions, and lived experiences—to build integrated pathways of healing rooted in Islamic values and Muslim communities’ realities.
Building Integrated Mental Health Systems in Crisis: Survey Findings from Frontline Training in Gaza
Empirical Research
🕒 3:10 PM – 3:30 PM 📍 Grand South Ballroom Friday, April 10th
Description
Silos to Systems resonates deeply with the challenge of providing psychiatric care in Gaza during active war. In August 2024, two short trainings—Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Suicidality in the Emergency Room—were delivered to physicians, nurses, and allied staff at Nasser Hospital. A follow-up survey (N=14; 28% response rate from 50 trained) assessed retention, confidence, competency, and application of skills.
Findings revealed that while participants broadly remembered the trainings and valued their relevance, subgroup differences emerged. Doctors demonstrated the highest accuracy on competency items. Nurses and younger staff reported lower baseline confidence and more barriers to practice, including time pressure, stigma, and lack of privacy.
The data underscore how siloed professional roles and structural barriers can limit cohesive mental health care. The study demonstrates the potential of integrated, team-based training to move fragmented efforts toward systems of care.
This work offers practical lessons for building interdisciplinary, trauma-informed, and spiritually grounded models of care in Muslim-majority conflict zones.
Speaker
Deborah Weidner, Salem Mental Health, LLC, Founder & Psychiatrist