August 21, 2026 12-1:30 pm
Broaching Sociopolitical Experiences in Counseling with MENA Clients
You’re cordially invited to a NARTIC webinar presented by 4 counselor educators who are NARTIC collaborators. Registration is free and required.
Broaching Sociopolitical Experiences in Counseling with MENA Clients
A Webinar Presented by NARTIC Collaborators
Date: August 21, 2026
Time: 12:00-1:30 pm PDT
Webinar Overview
Conversations about war, displacement, discrimination, immigration, religion, racism, and other sociopolitical issues have become increasingly relevant in counseling practice. For many Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (MENA*) individuals and communities, these experiences are deeply intertwined with identity, belonging, family relationships, migration, and mental health. Yet many counselors feel uncertain about whether, when, or how to broach these topics during the counseling process. Building on the principles of multicultural counseling, social justice, cultural humility, and the Multidimensional Model of Broaching Behavior, this webinar explores why counselors should be prepared to intentionally and thoughtfully engage in conversations about sociopolitical experiences with MENA clients. Drawing on our recent publication, Broaching with MENA Populations: Integrating a Socio-Political Approach, we discuss the concept of sociopolitical broaching and examine how counselors can acknowledge the influence of geopolitical events, structural inequities, discrimination, and racialization without making assumptions about clients’ experiences or political beliefs. Participants will examine how their own identities, assumptions, and sociopolitical perspectives may influence the counseling relationship and learn practical strategies for broaching sociopolitical experiences in ways that strengthen the working alliance and support culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and contextually grounded counseling practice.
At the end of this webinar, the participants are expected to be able to:
- Explain the importance of sociopolitical broaching when counseling MENA clients by describing how geopolitical conflict, discrimination, migration, racialization, and structural inequities may influence clients’ identities, mental health, and counseling needs.
- Examine their own cultural identities, assumptions, and sociopolitical perspectives and evaluate how these may influence the counseling relationship, broaching behaviors, and counseling process when working with MENA clients and other marginalized communities.
- Apply culturally responsive and trauma-informed broaching strategies to create space for conversations about race, ethnicity, culture, religion, migration, belonging, and sociopolitical experiences while strengthening the counseling relationship and supporting client-centered meaning making.
*MENA is an umbrella term used to describe the diverse peoples and communities with ancestral ties to Southwest Asia and North Africa. Although no single term can fully capture the region’s complexity or the many ways people identify themselves, the term MENA provides a shared language for discussing common historical, migration, sociopolitical, and mental health experiences while honoring the diversity that exists within and across these communities. Because of its recent adoption by the U.S. census, “MENA category/box” also brings visibility to communities whose experiences have often been overlooked in research, policy, and counseling. We encourage learners to hold this term with cultural humility and to always prioritize how individuals describe and understand their own identities and lived experiences.
Presenters
Dr. Waleed Sami examines how social and political determinants shape mental health, equity, and counseling practice, with particular interests in Muslim American communities, multicultural counseling, and sociopolitical influences on wellbeing (Link to bio).
<https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/
Dr. Elif Balın is an Associate Professor of Counseling and Career Counseling Coordinator at San Francisco State University. Her scholarship focuses on culturally responsive counselor education, advocacy, and community-engaged research at the intersection of career development and cultural transitions (Link to Dr. Balin’s bio).
Dr. Shadin Atiyeh is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Wayne State University. Her scholarship focuses on multicultural counseling, counselor education, trauma-informed practice, and culturally responsive mental health services for Arab, MENA, immigrant, and refugee communities (Link to Dr. Atiyeh’s bio).
Dr. Dana Isawi is an Associate Professor of Counseling at Northern Illinois University. Her scholarship focuses on multicultural and social justice counseling, trauma-informed practice, refugee mental health, and culturally responsive counseling with diverse individuals, families, and communities (Link to Dr. Isawi’s bio).
Registration
Free and required
Via Zoom (Kok-Mun Ng’s)