Ahmet Tanhan
Education: BA: Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey; MS: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA; PhD: Counseling and Counselor Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), Greensboro, NC, USA. Biography: Peace/Salaam, I got my bachelor’s degree in psychological counseling and guidance at Ege University in Turkey in 2008. I worked as a counselor for three years in Turkey and then moved to the U.S. for my master in clinical mental health counseling at University of Rochester, Rochester, NY in 2012. I had full scholarship for my school tuitions and life expenses from the ministry of education (government) in Turkey for my bachelor and master’s study.
In 2012, I got a full scholarship from counseling department at UNCG and have been able to focus more specifically on Muslims’, in the U.S., approach toward mental health issues and formal mental health services. As a counselor-in- training, I am interested in how I can work on myself to increase my knowledge, openness, skills, and experience to attend/understand myself and others so that I/we can utilize mental health services to facilitate and accompany others including Muslim community and the new counselors-in- training so that we can give something meaningful to this world and make it more livable for all. I am interested in understanding spirituality/religiosity in counseling and more specifically what kind of biopsychosocial issues Muslims in the U.S. experience and how Muslims perceive mental health services (e.g., counseling) and how formal mental health providers (e.g., counselors) consider Muslims’ belief/spirituality while trying to accompany them in their journey. I believe these are important to pay attention so that we all as human tribe including our Muslim communities across the country and globe can utilize mental health services first and foremost to enhance the quality of life and second to address more specific biopsychosocial issues that we all go through as being part of life.
I enjoy reading, reflecting, walking/running, swimming, playing tennis, being with my friends, cooking, and most importantly mindfully/intentionally and consciously collaborating and discussing how we –as Muslim community, mental health providers, and any others interested in the topic— can with individual and/or communities invest our resources (e.g., time, intelligence, hobbies, interests, associations, institutions, money) to contribute for a more meaningful and livable life for all starting from our own self, circles of family-friends- community, city, country, and all humanity. When I get a chance to collaborate, especially in the context of research that makes everything much more effective, with an individual and/or community to enhance the quality of life and/or address some biopsychosocial issues at individual, community, and/or global levels, I feel a deep meaning/peace, which is one of the most meaningful thing/hobby for me. I do deeply appreciate all the support from all parts (e.g., UNCG CED-RAM- MSA-Public Health-OIE, Muslim community in/around Greensboro, Zakat Foundation of America) that has made the research much more meaningful, productive, easy, and effective.
Once I graduate, I want to go back to Turkey and teach, conduct more research, and practice counseling to keep learning more with-and- from others and continue to collaborate with my dear professors and friends at UNCG and especially the ones at UNCG to keep striving for a more livable and meaningful world/life for all of us.