How do clinicians respond to the faith identity of young Muslims in a London Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) clinical context? An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

This research project explores how a multi-disciplinary group of CAMHS clinicians in a diverse London borough think about the faith identity of their Muslim patients, and how this might affect the therapeutic relationship. The researcher focuses on what the clinician brings to the room, both consciously and unconsciously, rather than locating issues of difference solely in the patient. This is important because the clinician is a participant in an inter-subjective process, rather than a neutral, objective observer. The researcher acknowledges the impact of her own identity as a Muslim on the research process. Following a literature review bringing together relevant papers from psychoanalytic literature and beyond, the researcher notes the lack of qualitative and quantitative research in this area. The researcher argues that CAMHS engagement with Muslims deserves further thought, particularly in the current socio-political climate, and discusses why the area of faith identity in general, and Muslim faith identity in particular, might be difficult to explore in the therapy room. In order to reflect the concerns of young Muslims in the interview schedule, the researcher consulted focus groups (Advisory Groups) of Muslim adolescents. The data from the subsequent interviews with clinicians, analysed using IPA, is presented here. Three overarching themes are selected for detailed exploration: what difference stirs up, the clinician as ‘other’, and tension around knowledge. The researcher seeks to understand how far clinicians’ responses are specific to working with Muslim patients, or reflect wider tensions around working with difference, in the context of the relationship between generalities and specificities in clinical work. The eventual objective of this research is to contribute to enhanced engagement with Muslim families and young people in CAMHS. Possible areas for improvement in training and service delivery are suggested, and potential areas for further research.