About Dr. Afshana Haque, PhD, LMFT-S
Are you looking for a therapist who truly understands the complexity of navigating issues that intertwine with your faith, culture and family? Dr. Afshana Haque is a Houston based Muslim therapist specializing in couples therapy, marriage counseling, neurodivergence (ASD/ADHD), intergenerational trauma, and anxiety treatment for Muslims and multicultural clients across Texas and Florida via secure virtual therapy.
Dr. Haque is the only Muslim Family Therapist in Texas with a PhD and a peer-reviewed publication in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy- one of the top journals in her field.
Working nearly 20 years as a therapist, she combines deep clinical expertise with genuine warmth. And her experiences as a supervisor and academic bring a level of knowledge and skill that places her among the top therapists in her field.
Who Dr. Haque Works With
She Specializes in helping:
- Muslim individuals and families navigating identity, faith, parenting, relationships and mental health
- South Asian (Desi), Arab/SWANA (Southwest Asian & North African), African, Black, Caribbean, Persian, LatinX, and multicultural clients and more
- Couples dealing with communication breakdowns, resentment, boundaries with extended family, long distance relationships, addictions, trauma, parenting style differences, personality differences, infidelity, divorce, step families, in laws, conflict, or pre-marital concerns
- Individuals managing low-self esteem, grief, life transitions, career guidance, spiritual crisis, work/life/family balance, or care giver stress
- Managing Mental health issues around neurodivergence, anxiety, depression, addiction, or trauma
- Bilingual clients– therapy offered in English and Bengali (Bangla)
Expertise in an Islamic and Culturally Grounded Approach
Dr. Haque grew up navigating multiple worlds–public schools in the colorful city of Flushing, NY (think neighborhood from the movie Coming to America), a Catholic school in suburban Houston, and a Muslim-Bangladeshi household–giving her a rare ability to connect with people of all backgrounds without judgement. She has worked with immigrant and 2nd generation Muslim families, multi-cultural and multi-religious households, refugee families, high-risk youth, and also in University and hospital settings.
For Clients where Islam is central to their lives, Dr. Haque seamlessly integrates an Islamically integrated therapeutic perspective alongside evidence-based methods including Emotionally Focused Therapy, The Gottman Method, solution focused, resilience based and trauma-informed care. Dr. Haque also welcomes clients from all faiths and backgrounds. She enjoys working with multi-cultural and multi-religious families.
Her clients value her ability to break down complicated concepts, quickly cutting to the chase and offering practical solutions. You can read more about her Islamically integrated approach in her chapter included in the book: Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy: Uniting Faith and Professional Practice (Chapter 4). You can also read about her research and practice with South Asian families in her chapter included in the book: Muslim Mental Health in North America (Chapter 7).
Virtual Therapy from the Convenience of your Home
Dr. Haque sees clients throughout Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. She also offers virtual therapy to all residents throughout the states of Texas and Florida–making specialized, culturally sensitive therapy accessible from the comfort of your home.
Book a FREE 20 minute consultation–No commitment. Just a conversation to see if it’s the right fit.
Additional Information on Experience & Publication
Education, Training & License
I earned a doctoral degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX and a Master’s degree at the University of Houston Clear Lake in Marriage and Family Therapy. I also served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston, Clear Lake for 7 years before pursuing full time private practice. Please click here for my Curriculum Vitae. License TX #201198; Florida #TPMF195
Past Clinical Experience
- DePelchin Children’s Center with high risk and foster care families.
- Methodist Hospital on the chemical dependency unit, child and adolescent unit, and intensive out patient units.
- Center for Refugee Services
- True Results of San Antonio Diagnostics Center
Additional Training by Notable Experts
- The Body Keeps the Score Trauma Healing with Bessel van der Kolk, MD
- American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor
- Brent Atkinson’s Pragmatic/Experiential Method for Improving Relationships
- Emotional Focused Therapy Externship
- Narrative Therapy and the Scaffolding of Therapeutic Conversations with Special Attention to Addressing the Consequences of Trauma.
- Imago Therapy
- Couples Assessment: Tools for Marital & Premarital Therapy
- Parent/Child Interaction Therapy Training
- Building Resilience in Youth and Families
- Negotiating Boundaries: Therapy in a Transnational Setting
- Couples Counseling Clinical Internship
- Facilitating Rapid Trauma Recovery and Spiritual Awakening
- Proactive and Preventative Education to Strengthen the Body, Mind and Sprit of At-Risk Families
- Spirituality and the Generative Life
- Strengthening Family Resilience: Rebounding from Crisis, Adversity and Loss
- Purposeful Play: Enhancing Creativity
- Languages Spoken: English, Bangla or Bengali
Presentations and Workshops Conducted
- Family Matters: Navigating a Successful Marriage at Shadow Creek Muslim Community Center
- Lets Talk: Vaping and Smoking Edition at Masjid Al-Salaam
- Emotional Intelligence Workshop for Mentors with Taiba
- Abuse, Anxiety and Depression in Youth at Masjid Al-Ansaar
- CAIR TX’s Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS)
- Time Management at The Texas Dawah Convention
- Platform presentation at the ISNA: Islam in America Conference
- Poster presentation at the The American Association for the Advancement of Science Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division: Science-The Key to the Past, Present, and Future.
- Parenting Workshop at the Islamic Society of Greater Houston: North West Zone
- Parenting Workshop at Austin Peace Academy
- Poster Presentations at the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
- Platform and Poster Presentations at the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Publications
- Muslim Mental Health in North America
- Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy: Uniting Faith and Professional Practice
- Microaggressions and Islamophobia: Experiences of Muslims Across the United States and Clinical Implications
- A Systematic Research Synthesis of the Various Adaptive Strategies Utilized by Dual-Income Couples
- The Assessment of Marital Adjustment with Muslim Populations: A Reliability Study of the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test
- Body Dissatisfaction and Mental Health across Ethnic/Racial and Immigrant Groups: Implications for marriage and family therapists
- A summative content analysis of stress and coping among parents of children with autism.