2002- 2003 ANNUAL REPORT

Bahá'í Association of Mental Health Professionals, Inc.

Board of Directors:

Dr. Jane Faily, Ms. Carmel Davey-Hatcher, Dr. Michael Penn, Mrs. Mary K. Radpour, Ms. Adrienne Stengel

The Bahá'í Association of Mental Health Professionals (BAMHP) 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. It is incorporated in the State of Illinois as a non-profit corporation, and the National Spiritual Assembly serves as its “sole member” with the Board of Directors serving at its appointment.

Because the Baha’i Association of Mental Health Professionals holds its annual meeting in the fall of each year, this report reviews the accomplishments in the years 2002-2003. BAMHP accomplished the agenda set for itself by its Board:

a) Maintenance of the membership of approximately 70 mental health professionals;

b) The holding of an annual conference at Louhelen Baha’i school, on the theme of “Oneness and Distinction: the Processes Which Undergird the Creation of Identities.” The purpose of this year’s conference was to explore the many facets of human identity and it involved presentations and performances on the construction of racial, sexual, moral, cultural and spiritual identity, as well as discussions of the implications of these multiple levels of identity for mental health and spiritual development. Presenters at this year’s conference and their topics were:

Ms. Jenni Menon, the development of moral identity in youth;

Mrs. Mary K. Radpour, the nature and development of sexual identity;

Dr. Michael Penn, the psycho-historical development of the concept of race;

Mr. Keith McKinley, the role of the media in the development of false identities;

Ms. Erika Batdorf, with the performance of her play “Raisin Head” which concerns the development of spiritual identity;

Mr. Ben Koan, on the use of music and prayer for healing; and

Dr. Elena Mostakova, on the nature and emergence of “critical consciousness”, manifested in a deepening lifelong integration of moral motivation, agency and critical discernment.

c) The nomination of members to the BAMHP Board at the annual meeting to replace the two members whose term of office had ended. This year the new nominations were for Dr. Michael Penn and Mary K. Radpour;

d) Inviting the participation of non-Baha’i presenters and attendees at the conference, through the invitation of attorney Keith McKinley;

e) Maintenance of the BAMHP website at www.bamhp.org with conference reports, abstracts of presentations, presentation papers; statement of purpose and various other useful documents;

f) Auditing of the BAMHP books;

g) Planning and promotion of the upcoming conference on the theme: “Transcending Adversity and Oppression,” with the speakers Dr. Joy Leary, Dr. Fereshteh Bethel, Mrs. Gayle Gonzales-Johnson, Dr. Larry McCullough, Dr. Jane Faily, Ms. Beverley Davis, & Ms. Vida Wachob.

h) Continuing promotion of the booklet, “Some Guidance for Spiritual Assemblies Regarding Mental Illness and Its Treatment” through the website.

Several new initiatives were also begun:

a) A document was prepared for the website designed to mentor youth and students seeking career guidance regarding the mental health professions, entitled “Questions and Answers about a Career in Mental Health;

b) The preparation of a bibliography of useful professional training materials to be included on the website;

c) Research into the possibilities of inviting well-known non-Baha’i professionals to address the conference.

Committees were formed to address the following goals and concerns:

a) Greater involvement of membership in the work of the Board of Directors;

b) Obtaining professional continuing education credits for attendance at the BAMHP conference;

c) Reaching out to Baha’i youth to encourage choice of a mental health profession;

d) Exploration of issues related to the holding of the 2004 conference at Stanford University;

e) Increasing the diversity of membership of the Association as well as extending its reach to the non-Baha’i audience.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary K. Radpour, Chairperson

Baha’i Association of Mental Health Professionals