Indian Muslim Welfare Association conducts family counselling seminar

Indian Muslim Welfare Association in collaboration with Indian Community School Khaitan conducted its first “Healthy Family Healthy Children” seminar on Saturday the May 3, 2025 at ICSK auditorium. The main purpose was to address the parents from distressed families which reflected on their children’s poor academic performance.

IMWA President Mr. Syed Hanif Ahmed in coordination with the school principal Mr. K Gangadhar and his staff organized the event for the benefit of the school parents and for members of different Indian associations in Kuwait. Five distinguished Counselors were invited to speak on different topics invited by IMWA President who would generate an impact on issues faced by families in their daily lives.

The meeting started with the anchor Mrs Lubna Asif requesting the audience to stand up for the national anthems of Kuwait and India followed by Quran recitation and then it’s translation from Surah Baqarah verse number 187. Mrs Asif then requested the principal Mr. K. Gangadhar of ICSK Khaitan to address the gathering.

Mr. Gangadhar Shirsath emphasized the growing concerns about disturbed students due to unhealthy home environments wherein students lack self-confidence. Such seminars and counselling sessions are sure to create awareness, and they will provide proper measures to be adopted by parents to handle children in such situations. After his speech he facilitated the President of IMWA Mr. Syed Hanif Ahmed by presenting a memento on behalf of the school for organizing the event.

Mr. Syed Hanif Ahmed President of Indian Muslim Welfare Association thanked the principal and his staff in co-hosting the event. He stated that we all start life with a family, whether that family is blood relatives, adopted parents, or a foster family. Our families influence almost every aspect of our lives, from our first moments to our last.

Families go through lots of changes throughout life, so it’s normal to experience some problems. Counselling can help overcome these difficult times. He spoke about how family dynamics change considerably over the course of our lifetime, there are many types of transitions that families go through together. Each family is unique, even within its own culture. He welcomed the panel of guest speakers who featured on different topics such as communication problems, mental health impact, substance abuse, relationship conflicts and Guided parenting.

Mrs. Zubeida Shabbir Khajuriwala who is a Counselling Psychologist/Psychotherapist/ Therapist for children with special needs and learning difficulties and an Academician spoke about Communication Problems. In her speech she narrated about the impact and influence of communication in our lives and how people learn to communicate in different relationships.

She highlighted communication as a key tool which governs all the other areas of our lives and the mental filters that are majorly responsible for the ways in which a person thinks, feels, behaves and communicates. She emphasized on the importance of acceptance and tolerance towards any individual especially in a marital relationship while communicating to strengthen and improve the relationship further.

Mrs. Rukaiya Mandasaurwala spoke about mental health’s impact on our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. She categorized thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as overt, covert, and social, and identified causes of behavioral problems such as genetics, mental health conditions, and trauma. She enabled parents with ways to handle behavior problem with active listening, setting clear rules, being positive role models, and respecting privacy to nurture healthy relationships.

Mrs Yamini Bhosale spoke about parental substance abuse whose affects causes divorce, separation, and changes in family structures like blended families deeply impact children’s emotional and academic well-being. These situations in a child’s life often leads to behavioral issues and declining academic performance.

Children may be forced into adult roles too early, affecting their mental health and increasing the risk of future substance use. It can leave children feeling confused, rejected, or torn between parents. She urged parents to build a safe, stable environment through open communication, consistency, and unconditional love to help children cope and thrive.

Mrs. Sabha Sheikh, HOD of Counselling and Psychology ICSK (Khaitan), spoke briefly about how parents cause harm and exhibit to their children in several forms despite their best intentions. She also mentioned the role of personal struggles in exhibiting this undesirable behavior. She emphasized the importance of counselling sessions to help parents navigate through uncertainty, and this challenging journey as parenting does not come with a manual or a definitive guidebook.

Dr Nasreen Sheikh is a Health Coach & Motivational Speaker has done her PhD and Masters in Alternative Medicine she spoke about Relationship Conflicts, she said relationship conflicts are normal but can be managed. She discussed why conflicts happen and what strategies one can follow to overcome these challenges such as listen actively, express feelings calmly, and avoid blame. Seek compromise, not victory.

Respect differences and set boundaries. How Open communication builds trust. If tensions rise, take a break and reflect and finally she closed it with how to resolve conflicts and strengthen bonds, fostering understanding and deeper connections ultimately take-home task the action plan.

Sheikh Hassan Taha Bwambale holds degrees in History & Geography, Islamic Studies, and Arabic Literature, he is the head of Da’wa department of Daiya and Tawasul. Tawasul is a Project of Kuwait Society for Cultural Dialogue. Bother Hassan an Islamic preacher spoke on Guided Parenting. Referring to the Noble Qur’an he said no doubt Quran guides human-beings in all aspects of life, among which is parenting.

Raising children is a great responsibility and parents will be held accountable for that. He went on to say that justice between children is imperative to avoid jealousy, envy and disobedience in the family and added to teach children to respect and be dutiful towards their parents as well as respecting any elderly person, they should also be kind to the younger ones. Do not play victim in front of your children or complain about your spouse.

This will send an implicit message that you are weak. As a result, they will doubt your ability to punish them if they happen to misbehave. He concluded by saying build strong emotional bonds by spending Quality time, empathy, and open communication.

The last segment of the program was the Question and Answer session where audience were requested to question the speakers based on their topics they have spoken, thereafter as a token of appreciation the panel of guest speakers were honored with presentation of mementos by executive members of IMWA followed by vote of thanks by Mr. Firdaus Alam Khan General Secretary of Indian Muslim Welfare Association.