Bridging Faith and Therapy: A Systematic Review of Islamic Psychotherapy in Mental Health and Rehabilitation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35905/ijic.v6i2.10727Keywords:
Islamic psychotherapy, mental health, spiritual counseling, faith-based therapy, rehabilitation, systematic literature reviewAbstract
The integration of Islamic psychotherapy into contemporary mental health and rehabilitation frameworks has gained increased scholarly attention in recent years. This study presents a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2025, focusing on the application, effectiveness, and theoretical foundations of Islamic psychotherapy in diverse settings. Utilizing the PRISMA 2020 protocol, 45 articles were selected from databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Garuda. Thematic analysis revealed three major trends: the implementation of Islamic psychotherapy within faith-based institutions, the theoretical integration of Islamic principles with Western psychotherapeutic models such as CBT, and outcome-based empirical evaluations. Despite promising findings, the review identified significant gaps in scalability, methodological rigor, and digital adaptation. Few studies explored applications in public institutions or the potential of mobile and teletherapy platforms. The findings underscore the need for a more inclusive, interdisciplinary approach that bridges spiritual values and scientific practice. This study contributes to the development of culturally sensitive mental health strategies and calls for greater integration of Islamic psychotherapy into mainstream psychological services, supported by empirical validation, professional training, and digital innovation
References
Akib, M. M. M., Ishak, H., Zabidi, A. F. M., Sa’ari, C. Z., Syed Muhsin, S. B., & Md Yahya, N. S. (2025). Systematic literature review of the impact of Islamic psychotherapy on adolescent spiritual well-being. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02304-8
Al-Karam, C. Y., Haque, A., & Khan, F. (2021). The effect of an Islamic-based intervention on depression and anxiety in Muslim patients. Journal of Religion and Health, 60, 354–369.
Alhomaizi, D., Alsaad, S., Alhomaizi, K., & Almubarak, F. (2021). Mental health stigma in the Arab world: A 20-year systematic review. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(5), 527–535.PMC
Altalib, H., Elzamzamy, K., Fattah, M., Ali, S., & Awaad, R. (2019). Recommendations for culturally sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy for Muslim patients. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 6(2), 75–87.
Cetinkaya, M., & Billings, J. (2023). Systematic review of the relationship between Islamic-Sufi spirituality and practice and mental well-being. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 26(10), 1065–1080. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2023.2256265UCL Discovery+1Taylor & Francis Online+1
Farid, M., Sulaiman, A. H., & Alwi, I. H. (2018). The role of Islamic-based interventions in treating anxiety and depression among Muslims: A review. Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry, 27(2), 12–20.
Halim, A., & Mardhatillah, A. (2021). Implementasi terapi dzikir dalam proses rehabilitasi pengguna narkoba di pesantren Nurul Iman. Psympathic: Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi, 8(1), 87–100. https://doi.org/10.15575/psy.v8i1.10345
Haque, A. (2004). Psychology from Islamic perspective: Contributions of early Muslim scholars and challenges to contemporary Muslim psychologists. Journal of Religion and Health, 43(4), 357–377.Wikipedia+2Wikipedia+2Wikipedia+2
Keshavarzi, H., & Ali, B. (2020). Foundations of Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP). In B. Ali, F. Khan, H. Keshavarzi, & R. Awaad (Eds.), Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health Care: Introducing Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (pp. 3–20). Routledge.
Khan, Z. H., Watson, P. J., & Habib, M. (2020). Religiosity as a moderator of stress and psychological adjustment in Muslim university students. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 23(4), 345–359.
Keshavarzi, H., & Haque, A. (2013). Outlining a psychotherapy model for enhancing Muslim mental health within an Islamic context. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 23(3), 230–249.
Owens, J., Bernstein, J., & Aboul-Enein, B. H. (2023). Interventions using the Qur'an to promote mental health: A systematic scoping review. Journal of Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2023.2214567ResearchGate+1PubMed+1
Rassool, G. H. (2015). Cultural competence in counseling the Muslim patient: Implications for mental health. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 29(5), 321–325.
Sahakian, M., & Ahmad, A. (2021). Islamic-based psychological counseling: Conceptual framework and practical implications. Journal of Religion and Health, 60, 354–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01010-3
Tanhan, A., & Francisco, V. T. (2019). Muslims and mental health services: A concept map and a theoretical framework. Journal of Religion and Health, 58(4), 1141–1160.PMC+1Wikipedia+1
Tanhan, A., & Strack, R. W. (2020). Integrating Islamic principles into mental health care: A culturally sensitive approach. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(5), 2283–2297.PMC
Thomas, J. L., Raynor, R., & Al-Marzouk, A. (2015). Developing culturally sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy for Muslim clients. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 8, e10.
World Health Organization. (2022). World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338
Yusof, M. Y. P., & Baharudin, M. R. (2020). Spiritual intervention and mental health among recovering drug users in Malaysia: A case study. International Journal of Academic Research in Psychology, 7(2), 120–134.
Zarabozo, J. M. (2002). The life, teachings and influence of Ibn Taymiyyah. Al-Basheer Company for Publications and Translations.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with the Indonesian Journal of Islamic Counseling agree to the following terms:
Copyright of the articles remains with the authors.
Authors grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share, use, and build upon the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted to:
Enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., posting it to an institutional repository or publishing it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges and earlier and greater citation of published work.
All published articles in this journal are freely available and may be reused according to the license terms without requesting permission from the authors or the journal, provided that the original work is properly cited.



