| College: | Emmanuel College |
| Degrees: | PhD (Emmanuel), DMin (Laurier) |
| Email: | nazila.isgandarova@utoronto.ca |
| Phone: | 416-585-4536 |
| Personal Website: | https://islamicpsychotherapy.ca/ |
| Teaching Category: |
Teaching Stream
|
| Appointment Status: |
Basic Degree
GCTS Associate
|
| Research Interests: |
Ethics / Pastoral Care / Counselling
|
Bio
Nazila Isgandarova is the Spiritual and Pastoral Education (SPE) Program Director and an Associate Professor at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto, a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastoral Counselling, Marriage, and Family Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Windsor. She is a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and a Registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Her interdisciplinary expertise bridges theology, psychotherapy and social work, focusing on culturally and spiritually integrated care.
Professor Isgandarova has been recognized with numerous honours, including the Champion of Diversity Award and the Ontario Volunteer Service Award from the Government of Ontario, the Order of Vaughan, the Forum for Theological Exploration Research Award for her work on domestic violence against Muslim women, the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care Senior Research Award and the Society for Pastoral Counselling Research Award.
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Specializations
- Spiritually-integrated psychotherapy
- Practical theology
- Spiritual care
- Islamic spiritual care and psychotherapy
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Publications
Authored Books:
- Muraqaba: Basics of an Islamic Mindfulness Technique in Spiritually-Integrated Psychotherapy. New York: Routledge (forthcoming).
- Muslim Women, Domestic Violence, and Psychotherapy: Theological and Clinical Issues. New York: Routledge, 2018.
- Islamic Spiritual Care: Theory and Practices. Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 2019.
Articles in Academic Journals:
- Baig, Naveed, and Nazila Isgandarova. 2023. "Exploring Islamic Spiritual Care: What Is in a Name?" Religions 14, no. 10: 1256.
- Isgandarova, Nazila. “Post-Traumatic Growth and Resilience in Victim-Survivors of Genocidal Rape.” Pastoral Psychology, 2023.
- Isgandarova, Nazila, Thomas St. James O’Connor, and Rhonda Kane. “Recognizing and Managing Performance Anxiety in First-Year Supervised Pastoral Education (SPE) Students: Description, Causes and Remedies.” The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 77, no. 1 (2023): 4–11.
- Isgandarova, Nazila. “Clinical Interpretation of Jinn Possession and Cultural Formulation of Mental Illness.” Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, (August 2022).
- Isgandarova, Nazila. “Muslim Subjectivities in Global Modernity: Islamic Traditions and the Construction of Modern Muslim Identities by Dietrich Jung and Kirstine Sinclair: Brill: Leiden, 2020.” International Journal of Practical Theology. De Gruyter, 2021.
- Jamal, S. and Isgandarova, N. "Intercultural Communication Concepts in Clinical Pastoral Education: The Intercultural Experience of Muslim Students." Journal of Pastoral Care and Counselling. 75, no. 3 (September 2021): 163–70.
- “When Someone is Dying, We Prefer…”: COVID-19 and The Challenges to Muslim Health Care Choices.” The Muslim World (Hartford) 111, no. 4 (2021): 573–83.
Chapters in Multi-author Volumes:
- “An “Epistemic Weight” of Islamic Practical Theology in Contemporary Islamic Social Work." In Exploring Islamic Social Work Between Community and the Common Good. Edited by Hansjörg Schmid and Amir Sheikhzadegan., 163-177. Springer: New York, 2022.
- "Female Voices in Islamic Spiritual Care: Tensions and Achievements." In Complexities of Spiritual Care, Ed. Anne Anne Hege Grung. Springer.
- “I Follow the Religion of Love.” In Navigating Religious Difference in Spiritual Care and Counseling: Essays in Honor of Kathleen J. Greider. Claremont: Claremont Press, 2019. (R)
- Co-authored with Ibrahim Long and Amber Haque. “Integrating Islamic Spiritual and Cultural Care Professionals in Clinical Settings.” In Multifaith Perspectives in Spiritual & Religious Care: Change, Challenge and Transformation. Toronto: Canadian Multifaith Federation, 2019.