Audrey Kodye, Registered Psychologist
EMPATHETIC, MUSLIM THERAPIST BASED IN EDMONTON, AB & AVAILABLE ACROSS AB, NB, NS, NU & QC
Islamic Therapy for Women
Your 'halal' path to Joy and Calm, that strengthens your connection with Allah SWT
On the outside, you seem fine—but inside, you’re overwhelmed.
Anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and old wounds are weighing heavily, and the usual ways of coping just aren’t working anymore.
You’re doing your best to hold everything together for everyone else, but deep down, you’re tired of pretending. You’re ready to feel calm, whole, and truly happy… in a way that’s halal and elevates your Deen.
AS SALAAM ALEYKUM WA RAHMATULLAHI WA BARAKATOUH.
I’m Audrey and I’m so glad you’re here!
I am a Muslim Registered Psychologist with 12 years of experience.
From my Edmonton-based practice, Overcome Anxiety Psychological, I provide online sessions to Muslimahs across Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Quebec.
I am passionate about helping Muslim women through culturally responsive, personalized Islamic therapy; doing work that not only allows me to help Sisters in an Islamically-aligned way, but also to actively use and increase my knowledge of the Deen, is the answer to a heartfelt du'aa!
I reverted over 10 years ago and therefore also have a unique understanding of the challenges faced by women, like myself, who did not grow up in the faith.
Like the Muslim Sisters who reach out to me, you may have been thinking that perhaps therapy could be helpful, but been hesitant to reach out; maybe some of your struggles involve people you care about – doesn’t therapy mean talking about them? And doesn’t Islam teach us not to speak badly of others?
This is an important concern, Mash’Allah.
As a Muslim Therapist
who has lived experience with mental health difficulties AND values her Deen, I totally get where you’re coming from and admire your commitment to pleasing Allah SWT. I want to reassure you that Allah SWT knows our intentions behind sharing the difficult experiences we’ve had. Helping me as your therapist understand the painful interactions you’ve been through will open the door to healing and be the start of something new, In Sha Allah.
Something else that may make you hesitant about seeking therapy may be that you’ve heard comments before that were dismissive of your experiences, like: “You don’t need therapy; you just need to pray more, read the Qu’ran more, be closer to God”, “You’re being ungrateful”, or “I went through worse than you when I was younger and I am not depressed”.
Regular Salat, having a strong connection to the Qu’ran and cultivating gratitude are indeed some of the essential ingredients of mental health recovery from an Islamic Therapy perspective, and at the same time, it is important to recognize that mental health challenges are real and do make things harder, and that developing or recovering habits around spiritual practices may genuinely feel very difficult.
Also, we may be doing everything and still struggle.
I offer a non-judgemental space where you can talk freely about what’s affecting you, get support and validation and experience real, lasting transformation.
‘Halal’ therapy is Naseeha (sincere guidance) which is an important part of our Deen.
Over the past few years, it has been my priority to continually increase my knowledge of Islam and Islamic Psychology, for deeply personal reasons; while I recovered from decades of trauma-related anxiety with the help of TEAM-CBT (learn more about TEAM-CBT here), implementing Islamic Therapy practices has helped me achieve levels of mental well-being and resilience that I never considered to be even remotely possible, Subhan’Allah.
This why I chose to specialize in Islamic therapy, delivered with empathy.
Experienced, Muslim therapist providing Islamic therapy for women in edmonton, ab & across AB, NB, NS, NU & QC
What is Islamic therapy?
Islamic therapy with me as your Muslim therapist is deeply compassionate, as I know what it’s like to face mental health struggles… and the stigma that comes with them.
Islamic therapy merges the wealth of knowledge compiled by Classical Scholars – from the Qu’ran, Ahadiths and Seerah about Islamic Psychology and other Islamic teachings relevant to mental health – with the TEAM-CBT approach (learn more about TEAM-CBT here).
Islamic teachings derived from the Qu’ran, Ahadiths and Seerah offer some of the invaluable solutions that will be the gateway to both mental well-being and spiritual growth, In Sha Allah. TEAM-CBT will help us to effectively put into practice these solutions effectively, as well as to integrate Islamic teachings on a deeper level.
TEAM-CBT provides the science-backed framework that organizes the different components that help make the therapy process successful in a way that aligns with Islam. These include creating a safe, accepting environment where you can talk about your struggles – so I may understand them thoroughly and be better equipped to assist you with them – and helping you overcome the blocks that typically show up on one’s therapy journey, in a warm manner.
This aligns with prophetic tradition as our Prophet SAW used to create safe spaces to help Sahabbas feel comfortable seeking guidance, Masha’Allah.
As your Muslim therapist, I will therefore give you an attentive ear and support you, as you talk about your challenges. When you’re ready, we’ll move on to working on empowering you to overcome these challenges; TEAM-CBT comprises powerful tools that will help us analyze with precision these moments when you get stuck in unhelpful patterns, as well as methods to disrupt these patterns and establish healthier, more helpful ones in an islamically informed way, In Sha Allah.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2687
Welcome to effective, faith-based therapy, minus the barriers. Alhamdoulillah.
As Muslim women, we may face several barriers on our therapy journey.
I am committed to making therapy safer and more accessible, In Sha Allah.
1. Relating to a therapist who does not share our faith may be hard and come with an extra burden.
Maybe you’ve seen a therapist before who wasn’t Muslim—and ended up carrying the extra weight of having to explain our faith, or your culture with its specific family dynamics, pressures and expectations. Maybe you felt the burden of having to explain intergenerational trauma passed down through your ancestors’ experiences of war or slavery, or the pain of migration, discrimination, racism, microaggressions, and Islamophobia. Or perhaps you just stayed silent, worried you’d be misunderstood, judged, or dismissed.
As a Black Muslim woman of mixed heritage and an immigrant to Canada, I understand and bring cultural responsiveness into the heart of my work.
You’re already carrying so much.
In this space, you don’t have to explain it all.
You can show up as you are—breathe, and begin to unpack.
2. Worrying about judgment can stop us from getting help or opening up.
As a Muslim woman who used to face her own mental health challenges, I understand what it’s like and come from a place of radical acceptance of whatever you might bring to our sessions.
For instance, a lot of Muslim women who struggle with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and trauma, may also find it challenging to keep up with spiritual practices. At the same time, most of us have periods in our lives when we struggle in these ways and it does not make sense to judge each other on that basis. Admitting that something needs to change is the first step to making these positive changes!
Many women are also concerned that others may become aware that they are seeing a therapist, judge and speak of them negatively. I want you to know that to me, confidentiality is more than upholding my ethical and legal obligation to protect my clients’ privacy as a psychologist; it means fulfilling Allah SWT’s command upon us. I will never share any information about you without your approval, down to whether you are my client or not.
Similarly, to further protect your confidentiality, you will never have to come into a therapy office; having me as your Muslim therapist means accessing counselling from the comfort and privacy of your home. I also exclusively offer online sessions from a secure, therapy-designated platform that has heightened safeguards in place to protect your privacy.
3. Facing financial barriers may make it difficult to access therapy.
Alhamdoulillah, I have a partnership with Sisters Dialogue as a contracted Muslim therapist. Sisters Dialogue subsidizes 5 sessions – with the possiblity to extend coverage – for Muslim women residing in Alberta who have difficulty affording therapy. Email me at audrey@overanxietypsych.com for more information, In Sha Allah.
Audrey Kodye helps women with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and trauma, in edmonton, ab & across AB, NB, NS, NU & QC
FAQS
Frequently asked questions about Islamic Therapy
The timeline can vary based on your unique goals & personal history. Clients who fully engage in the process and complete their therapy homework – which consists of readings, written exercises and practising techniques I will teach you in session – experience relief after about five sessions.
The entire therapy course averages 12 to 24 sessions.
Mes honoraires sont de 235 $ par séance de 50 minutes. Des séances plus longues sont disponibles au même tarif.
Étant en pratique privée, mes honoraires ne sont not couverts par l'assurance maladie publique financée par le gouvernement, comme le régime d'assurance maladie de l'Alberta, le programme d'assurance maladie du Nouveau-Brunswick, le programme d'assurance maladie de la Nouvelle-Écosse, le régime d'assurance maladie du Nunavut et la Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec.
Cependant, étant donné que je suis psychologue agréé, si votre private régime d'assurance comprend une couverture pour la santé mentale, les séances de thérapie avec moi seront généralement prises en charge.
You may contact your insurance provider to find out how much coverage you have per year.
It may also be beneficial to ask whether you have a health spending account that may be used toward therapy sessions.
While I do not direct bill insurance companies, I will provide you with a receipt after every therapy session so may you be reimbursed by your insurance company. You will be charged the session fee on the credit card that you will provide when you enrol into treatment.
My fees may be claimed under tax deductible health care expenses on your income tax return.
If you are eligible for these programs, please note that I also have an agreement to provide services under:
- the NIHB (Non-Insured Health Benefits) program which provides eligible First Nations and Inuit clients with coverage for various benefits, including mental health counselling. Through this program, eligible clients can receive up to 22 hours of counselling a year.
- the Bigstone Health benefits program which provides benefits to members of Bigstone Cree nation. Through this program, clients can receive up to 22 hours of counselling every 12 months.
- federal programs such as the Interim Federal Health program (IFHP) administered under Immigration, Regufees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC); this program provides limited, temporary coverage of health care benefits for specific groups of people who don’t have provincial, territorial, or private health care coverage. I also direct-bill federal programs such as programs for members of the Canadian armed forces (CAF), Royal Canadian Mounted police (RCMP), and Veteran Affairs Canada (VAC).
I also have a partnership with Sisters Dialogue that allows Muslim women residing in Alberta to see me free of charge, for 5 sessions with the possiblity to extend coverage.
If this is something that has been causing you stress, it would be relevant to therapy work. However, I am not a Scholar and if we may be dealing with Islamic rulings, for example, we will seek guidance from reliable sources such as by consulting with an imam In Sha Allah, while maintaining your privacy.
I have been doing the bulk of my training through Al Balagh Academy, London, UK.
You may email me at audrey@overanxietypsych.com or schedule a free 15-minute consultation here.
