PPG Professional Member Spotlight: Positive Psychology, Psychotherapy & Islam (Eman Allawati)
Eman Allawati is a Registered PPG Professional Member and Certified Positive Psychology Practitioner from the Sultanate of Oman who graduated from the Level 5 Diploma Positive Psychology Training Practice in 2025. Below is an interview with Ola Hardbattle on her experience and perspectives on Positive Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Islam.
As a psychotherapist, how do you view Positive Psychology?
As a psychotherapist, I consider Positive Psychology a valuable and essential integration in therapeutic work. While the clinical context often focuses on alleviating suffering, I find it equally crucial to acknowledge individuals strengths and capacities to ensure they are not marginalized in therapeutic conversations. As a practitioner grounding my in strength-based and hope-oriented approaches, Positive Psychology has helped me broaden my understanding of human functioning by looking beyond deficiencies and symptoms. It invites to honour and acknowledge the qualities, skills, values, hopes, and abilities people bring with them. These resources are usually overshadowed in their dominant personal narrative and could contribute to reducing the influences of the problems in their lives.
You recently presented at the Positive Psychology Academy on Islam and Positive Psychology. What were your key messages?
My key message was focused primarily on exploring decolonising approaches and de-centered practices to integrate positive psychology and Islam. I emphasised on the need to move beyond western dominant narratives to reclaim culturally and spiritually grounded perspectives on wellbeing, flourishing and human growth. I proposed that this integration can take multiple forms such as theoretical synthesis which considers blending and synthesizing Islamic frameworks with established positive psychology constructs. Also, contextualisation and adaptation that aims to adapt Positive Psychology’s applications to be more relatable, meaningful, and effective for Muslim communities.
What was your PPG Academy experience like and what are you taking away?
I recall my first introductory session with Positive Psychology Guild was in September 2022, while I was on a family vacation in Scotland. That moment has marked the beginning of a wonderful journey that has taken me to many new and different territories.
With each module, the bi-weekly live sessions, personal and collective reflections, writing tasks, and the continuous support provided have all worked together facilitating a gradual shift in my sense of self. This shift involved a deeper self-awareness, character development, and a more holistic understanding of human functioning. On a professional level, the learning experience has been metaphorically like a seed that has grounded and shaped my practice, rooting it in a strength-based and hope-oriented approach. As I move forward, I find myself taking away a renewed sense of purpose, a greater clarity in my professional path and aspirations to practice positive psychology in ways that are relatable and relevant within my local context.
Which character strengths do you feel have most supported you in becoming a “Positive Psychology Practitioner”?
My sense of purpose and rising hope have always been a driving force in my life personally and professionally. Since my young age, I’ve carried the aspirations to contribute to humanity in positive and meaningful ways or perhaps more accurately; a longing to be part of something larger than myself. These core strengths “purpose & hope” feels essential to who I am as a person. It also feels natural and effortless and cultivating them in my life always lifts me up, leaves me happy, content, in balance and deeply fulfilled. As I reflect now, I believe this strong sense of purpose was shaped mainly by an Islamic concept of “Emaar”; the idea of cultivating, developing, and improving the world as a form of worship and service to others. This principle has deeply influenced how I see my role in the world: to be a source of hope, growth and goodness for others.
One of the most affirming moments while studying positive psychology was taking the VIA Character Strengths assessment and discovering that spirituality and hope were among my top signature strengths that fall under the virtue of transcendence. Other core character strengths that contributed to my journey of becoming a positive psychology practitioner are: love of learning and genuine empathy to others.
Is Positive Psychology gaining interest in Oman?
There is a growing engagement with Positive Psychology topics in Oman both in literature and practice. While the large-scale surveys remain limited however, several insightful studies highlight positive psychology themes such as: resilience, wisdom, search of meaning and wellbeing. Within professional practice and from my personal observation, there is an increasing number of practitioners who integrate positive psychology topics into their work particularly in training/coaching/educational settings. However, it’s worth noting that many of these initiatives may not explicitly adopt frameworks and theoretical models of positive psychology. Nonetheless, practices such as strength-based approaches, mindfulness, and interventions focused on fostering resilience, hope, gratitude, and personal growth are clearly expanding and resonating well within the local context.
Do you have any advice for Muslim students training to become Positive Psychology Practitioners?
I encourage all Muslim students to approach their learning experience with curiosity, openness and critical engagement. While Positive Psychology offers valuable scientific evidence-based knowledge into wellbeing and human flourishing, it is however important not to treat scientific discourse as sacred or absolute. Try to avoid applying theories and models in a way that is detached from your own cultural, social, and spiritual context. Instead, strive for ways and possibilities to adapt and localise the knowledge you learn. From a practical point of view and throughout your learning journey, I highly recommend practicing self reflection. For instance, allow yourself to pause, reflect and ask yourself the followings:
- Does the learned concept resonate with the values and realities of Muslim communities?
- Can I connect this intervention with Islamic teachings or perhaps local cultural wisdoms?
- How can I make my future interventions meaningful to the people I hope to serve?
- Does this concept already exist within Islamic teachings or traditions? For instance, are there Qur’anic verses, Hadith, or Islamic traditions that already reflect this idea?
- Are there cultural or religious sensitivities I need to consider when applying this intervention?
- How does the learned concept align or conflict with Islamic values or worldview?
- Could Islamic rituals or practices (like prayer, fasting, charity) be framed or understood through a Positive Psychology lens?
- Are there barriers (e.g., stigma, language, gender norms) that need to be addressed before applying this in Muslim communities?
Do you have any advice for Positive Psychology Practitioners working with Muslim clients who want to serve them more effectively, especially when it comes to cultural sensitivity?
Muslim communities are highly diverse socially, culturally, theologically and in terms of both personal and collective beliefs and practices. Therefore, it’s advisable for Positive Psychology Practitioners working with Muslims to avoid implicit assumptions that all Muslims share the same religious practices or hold the same level of beliefs or interpret faith in the same way. Each individual’s relationship with faith and religion is unique and is shaped by various factors. Therefore, it’s recommended to approach every client with a sense of curiosity and willingness to keep exploring possibilities in the individual’s narratives.
Also, for many Muslims, Islam is considered as a core component part of their identity. Therefore, I recommended to approach “faith and spiritual practices” as a potential resource and a strength rather than a barrier. Respecting and acknowledging local knowledge and culturally embedded wisdoms and values could serve as a powerful source of meaning, resilience, hope and growth
Additionally, honouring and respecting cultural boundaries is important while practicing with Muslims. For instance, being mindful and aware of gender norms and interactions, modesty expectations and physical space preferences is advisable. Some clients may prefer a practitioner of the same gender. It is also essential to accommodate Muslim religious practices. For example, providing short breaks for the prayers during the client engagement practice. Another example within this context is during the month of Ramadhan when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, the practitioner should be mindful and avoid scheduling sessions that conflict with Iftar (the meal to break the fast).
Being familiar with the cultural communication style will also help the practitioners to work effectively with Muslim clients. For example, when greeting, try to follow the client’s lead regarding handshakes, as some may decline opposite-gender physical contact out of modesty. Also, knowing the basic Islamic terms of greeting (e.g., As-Salaam-u-Alaikum) and phrases (e.g., Insha’Allah God willing, Masha’Allah) can build rapport. It’s also important to navigate between implicit and explicit forms of communication with cultural sensitivity. Finally, I would encourage the practitioners to engage in ongoing self-reflection to examine their own cultural assumptions, biases, and possible areas for growth and learnings. The commitment to develop continuous self-awareness is one of the key components of culturally competent care.
Could you recommend any valuable resources for our readers who want to learn more about Islam its connections to Positive Psychology?
Before integrating Islamic principles with Positive Psychology, it is important that readers first understand the Islamic worldview on human nature and well-being. From my point of view, a foundational understanding of Islamic psychology and spirituality will provide essential context for making meaningful connections between these two domains. To begin this exploration I recommend to begin explore the following book titles and academic journals:
Recommended Book Titles:
- Islam Explained: A Short Introduction to History, Teachings, and Culture
- Foundational Islamic Spirituality & Psychology
- Psychology From the Islamic Perspective
- Islamic Psychology: Human Behaviour and Experience from an Islamic Perspective
- Positive Psychology in the Arab World (in The International Handbook of Positive Psychology)
- Toward a Positive Psychology of Islam and Muslims: Spirituality, Struggle, and Social Justice
Relevant Academic Journals:
- The Journal of Muslim Mental Health
- The Journal of Islamic Psychology
- Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology
What is next for you professionally? What are you excited about or looking forward to?
I am excited to develop non-clinical interventions that are grounded in strength based and hope oriented approaches in ways that are relatable and resonant with the people I’ll be working with across diverse settings (individuals/group/community). I am particularly interested in integrating my knowledge in positive psychology with my current studies in narrative therapy and community work to co-create meaningful and culturally responsive practices. My aim is to collaborate with individuals in creating a together “context of change”, a space where they engage in the practice of “telling & re-telling” their life stories, explore preferable ways of being and tap into the strengths, capacities, and resources they already possess.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I am delighted to have this wonderful opportunity to share my ideas and experiences in this September issue of the PPG newsletter. I made a special effort to contribute to this edition as a way of celebrating my journey in positive psychology so far… especially that September 2022 was the beginning of my involvement with the Positive Psychology Guild! I look forward to exchanging knowledge, learning from other practitioners, and connecting with others who are passionate about the topics discussed.
Please feel free to connect with me via my LinkedIn page:
www.linkedin.com/in/emanallawati
or through my email address: allawati.eman@gmail.com
About Eman Allawati
Eman Allawati is a psychotherapist specialised in strength based and hope-orientated approaches. She integrates Positive Psychology and narrative practices to create pathways for individuals and communities to re-author their live stories, co-creating meaning and cultivate resilience.