Dear Friend,

We extend to you an invitation to join this Association, which, in May of 1998, at the initiative of the Committee for the Advancement of Women, was launched at the Louhelen Bahá'í School with the first ever gathering of professionals interested in exploring synthesis of the Bahá'í Faith and mental health field. That gathering sparked an interest in the formation of a Baha’i association for mental health, and a second conference, drawing participants from across the U.S. and Canada, was held at Louhelen in November of 1999.

The result of the second conference was a formal proposal to the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly to create an association. The proposal envisioned an organization that would support and bring together individuals in helping professions, including clinicians, researchers and theoreticians as they strove to integrate into their work the understandings and insights found in the Bahá'í Writings, and would serve the Bahá'í community and its institutions by providing information and education about mental health issues.

In July of 2000, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States accepted the proposal to incorporate as a non-profit entity the Association of Bahá'í Mental Health Professionals (BAMHP). In 2007, the Board of Directors of the BAMHP in consultation with its membership, decided to change the name of the association to the Bahá'í Association for Mental Health (BAMH) to signal its outward orientation and its welcome extended to all interested professionals from various spiritual backgrounds and disciplines, such as mental health, education, nursing, medicine, public health, arts, social sciences, etc.

The association's purposes is being accomplished through various means, including:

• Holding an annual conference at which we share with each other our ideas and our work, as well as our friendship and support. The annual conference also serves as a forum for connecting members in service to the community.

• Offering CEU credits for participation in the workshops offered by the BAMH in various locations.

• Publishing brochures and pamphlets as needed, such as the publication, Some Guidance for Spiritual Assemblies Related to Mental Illness and its Treatment.

• Publishing a newsletter at least once a year.

• Hosting a website.

• Publishing a membership directory.

• As you can well imagine, the possibilities for our personal and professional growth and service through such an organization are endless. Among the benefits to members are:

• Reduced rate for the annual conference.

• Discounts on Association publications.

• Receipt of membership directory, updated annually.

• Receipt of newsletter published annually.

Beyond these conveniences, we hope you will see the value in encouraging the growth of an organization which can articulate the Bahá'í teachings about the essentially spiritual nature of human beings to a confused and dispirited generation at a loss to understand the gift of God within each human soul.

To join the BAMH, print out the member information form from the below link and mail it with your membership fee to the address indicated.

Alternatively, you may pay by credit card through Images International. Simply phone Images International at (423) 870-4525 or via Email at images@chattanooga.net.

Click here for the PRINTABLE Membership Form and Membership Fees and Policies.

In addition to the regular membership, there are opportunities for exciting and meaningful service roles and responsibilities open to the members of the BAMH. These include:

• Contributions to the BAMH fund

• Newsletter support

   o art, writing, editing, etc.

• Membership recruitment

• Conference support

   o registration

   o promotion

   o follow-up

• Committees

   o research

   o publishing

   o resource mobilization

   o database management

We look forward to welcoming you into our membership and serving with you on this exciting journey.
In the spirit of service,

The Board of Directors of the BAMH