STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Bahá'í Association of Mental Health (BAMH) is a non-profit, Bahá'í-inspired organization designed to serve the intellectual, social and spiritual needs of practitioners, researchers and theoreticians who desire to apply the insights contained in the Bahá'í writings to the mental health professions. The Association seeks to combine the highest scientific and professional knowledge in the field of mental health with ongoing study and application of the Bahá'í Writings to all aspects of mental health education, research, and practice.

Mission
The Association is committed to opening a space for the emergence of an enriched understanding of mental health, one that recognizes and studies systematically the intersection between spirituality and authentic mental health. BAMH understands authentic mental health as grounded in the conscious pursuit of the fundamental human needs for love and justice. The Association seeks to illuminate the role of social context in the pathogenesis of mental illness, and to study the dynamics of comprehensive and systemic mental health initiatives. BAMH is guided by a commitment to addressing long-standing social ills at the heart of the increasingly pervasive global experience of the Social Breakdown Syndrome, described by the World Health Organization as characterizing the current state of the world. Hence, the activities of the BAMH are dedicated to fostering the kinds of interchange that encourage the generation of novel insights into the dynamics of authentic mental health, as well as the application of such an enriched understanding of the dynamics of mental health both in clinical practice and in everyday human interactions. In the pursuit of all its activities, the Association endeavors to promote the highest qualities of honesty, love, and trustworthiness known to be essential to authentic mental health. The Association seeks to be of service not only to practicing professionals and clinicians but also to the collective human family in all its diversity, as it strives to negotiate the unique challenges of a global age.

Background and Context
Inspired by one of the fundamental principles of the Bahá'í Faith, the unity of science and religion, the Association approaches both science and religion as God-ordained sources of valid knowledge of the structure of reality, including the inner reality of the human psyche. BAMH recognizes a growing body of knowledge which points to the fact that not only the material body but also the immortal human soul is governed by causal laws that can be understood rationally and applied systematically in the pursuit of both material and spiritual well-being. The Association seeks to further such understanding by integrating the experiential knowledge of scientific and clinical practice with insights derived from systematic study of the Bahá'í Writings and other wisdom traditions.

Further Considerations
The BAMH derives its funding from membership fees and the sale of association-approved products. It does not support or espouse any particular approach to psychotherapy, research or theory, and membership in the organization is open to anyone.
The BAMH does not provide treatment services, professional advice, or counsel to individuals or groups, nor does it authorize, supervise, sanction or promote the work of any of its members. All official statements, publications or initiatives carried out in the name of the BAMH must be approved, in writing, by the Association's Board of Directors whose members are selected on a rotating annual basis at the Association's annual conference.

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