Wahida C. Valiante

Wahida Valiante is currently the National President and founding member of the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) and the Chair of Islamic History Month Canada. She is a Canadian trained social worker and therapist who specializes in couple and family therapy, family mediation, domestic violence, and post traumatic stress disorder.

She has made numerous presentations and training to academic institutions and professionals, both nationally and internationally, on the development of human personality and the role of religion and family.

She has presented several major papers on contemporary theories of family therapy and towards the development of an alternative model of treatment based on the Qur’anic concept of human personality and human relationships. She is a pioneer in the field of developing therapeutic interventions for treating family conflict and intergenerational issues, from an Islamic concept integrating both the contemporary and the Muslim traditions in psychotherapy.

She is a published author on South Asian family, South Asian Women, Domestic Violence and Social Work interventions. She has also published several papers on the methodology of providing culturally, racially and religiously appropriate social work intervention to families who have experienced domestic violence, child abuse, intergenerational conflict and [...] abuse. In 1999 she was the recipient of an award for her outstanding work in the field of violence against women and children.

Wahida Valiante has demonstrated a long outstanding commitment on many levels to health, social and community issues and has initiated many health related counseling programs for women and children since 1993 as a well as a Social Club for Muslim Women and the Ontario School of Islamic Studies. She sits on several organizational committees whose focus includes the alleviation of child poverty and implementation of social reform.

Biography

Early life

Wahida Valiante the youngest of four children, was born in Mirpur, formerly part of Kashmir before the 1947 Partition. She is a direct decendant of Mu'īnuddīn Chishtī. While still an infant, her father died in a hunting accident in Kashmir, and only a decade later her mother died from the rupture of a cerebral aneurysm. After the passing of both her parents there was little to tie her and her siblings to their native land and they eagerly accepted the opportunity to move to England. There she obtained her A levels only to be intrigued by the prospects of studying in Canada. In 1961 she arrived in Canada and began studying towards a degree in Chartered Accounting. She married in 1963 and has two children.

Education

As a dedicated mother and working parent, she returned to university later in life while still balancing the many obligations of home and family, making the University of Toronto Dean’s List of Scholars in both 1990 and 1991.

She holds a BSW from York University and an MSW from the University of Toronto, as well as a diploma in Family Mediation. She is trained in Brief Solution Focused Therapy; Trauma, Loss, Grief and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders; and Race Relations Leadership.

She received her Clinical and Counseling training from two Toronto hospitals specializing in Psychosocial Assessment and Family Interventions from Multi-theoretical and Multi-Model approaches with Psychiatric Patients, Families and Groups. She has extensive experience in working with refugees from war torn countries: especially with women and children, who were victim of [...], Trauma, and Psychological Violence.

Publications

  • International Conflict and mediation, Religious and Multicultural Perspective: Novalis, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada, 2004
  • Raising Children as the Citizens of the World, The Quest for Sanity: The Muslim Council of Britain, United Kingdom. September 2002.
  • Reflections on Ramadan, From Violence to Blessing: Novalis, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada, 2002
  • Multi-Cultural and Multi-Racial Family Practice in the 90s, The Journal of Ontario Association of Professional Social Workers: Vol. 21, No.1. Spring 1994.
  • Domestic violence in the South Asian family: Treatment and Research Issues, South Asian Symposium 1992: A Reader in South Asian Studies. University of Toronto Press 1993.
  • Social work practice with South Asian Women: Issues, Concerns, and Problems, South Asian Symposium 199l: A Reader in South Asian Studies. University of Toronto Press 1992.

Academic Presentations

  • Towards the Development of an Islamic Approach to Family Therapy, X111 World Congress of Psychiatry, Cairo, September 10–15, 2005, Egypt.
  • Family Therapy and Muslim Families: A Solution Focused Approach. Presented at the Mediterranean Congress in association with World Psychiatric Association, the Italian Institute for Transcultural Mental health, the World Islamic Association for Mental Health (WIAMH), the Italian Society of Transcultural Psychiatry, Eastern Mediterranean Council for Mental Health in Narni (Terni), Italy 9–14 June 2003
  • Family Therapy and Canadian Muslim Families, Short Course for Imams, Community leaders and all those interested in working with Muslim families.” Canadian Islamic Congress, Toronto: 4th Sept 2005.
  • Children: Our Most Valuable Resource, National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Symposium, Marc.26.2004, Kananaskis, Alberta
  • Muslim Women as a Minority in Canada: Changing the Status Quo. Presented at the International Symposium: Islam in Canada: 28–30 May 2004
  • Li-Tara’afu: to Know One Another. Presented at the second International Muslim Women’s conference, Trinidad, Dec.12th.2003
  • Family Therapy and Muslim Families: A Solution Focused Approach. Presented at the Mediterranean Congress in association with World Psychiatric Association, the Italian Institute for Transcultural Mental health, the World Islamic Association for Mental Health (WIAMH), the Italian Society of Transcultural Psychiatry, Eastern Mediterranean Council for Mental Health in Narni (Terni), Italy 9–14 June 2003
  • Reflections on Muslim Families: The challenges and opportunities. Presented at the Sixth General Congress of the World Islamic Call society, Indonesia, 18-23 Sept 2000.
  • The Qur’an, Gender and Social Work practice. Joint Conference of the International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of School of Social Work, held in Montreal, July 29-August 2, 2000.
  • Muslim Families at a Cross Road. Presented at the conference of the World Call Society, Trinidad, 1999.
  • Strengthening Families from an Islamic Perspective. Presented at National Family Service Conference, held in Toronto, October 1997.
  • Introduction to Islamic Concepts of Human Psyche and Muslim Tradition in Psychotherapy. Presented at the Orthopsychiatric Conference, held in Toronto, March 1997.
  • Towards The Development of an Islamic Approach to Family Therapy. Presented at the 23rd annual conference of Association of International Muslim Social Scientist, held in Chicago, Nov 1995.
  • Collaboration: A Social Development Approach to Community Development. Presented at the third national conference of multicultural health, held in Montreal, May 1995.
  • Partnerships: A cross-cultural perspective. Presented at Family Service Conference, held in Nov. 1994. Halifax

Invited Presentation

See Also

Global Islamic Finance Awards

Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) are awards in Islamic banking and finance. GIFA was founded by...

Islamic heritage

Islamic heritage, a comprehensive term that includes everything related to Islam from the texts of...

Islamic Economics Research Bureau

Islamic Economics Research Bureau (IERB) () is a private research institution in Bangladesh which...