“Worried about your child’s mental health but unsure where to turn? You’re not alone. At The Reflection Project, we offer a guiding light for Muslim-heritage children and families, providing a safe haven where faith is embraced and cultural nuances are understood.”
Dr. Rachel Abedi, Founder of The Reflection Project
Dr. Rachel Abedi
Therapy is supposed to offer a safe, neutral, non-judgemental space for children to heal, express themselves, and feel seen and understood. However, research indicates that when some Muslim-heritage children and their families seek mental health support through traditional avenues, this is not what they encounter. In fact, instead of experiencing a sense of safety and understanding, many are met with disregard for their faith and cultural heritage, or worse, suspicion of these.
With over a decade of academic and professional experience in Child Psychotherapy, I’ve witnessed these biases firsthand and uncovered the urgent need for faith-sensitive services like The Reflection Project.
When I founded The Reflection Project, my goal was simple: to ensure that every Muslim child receives the tailored support they deserve, in an environment where their faith and cultural norms are not just respected but embraced.
Our Trustees
Ahmed Tudor Payne
Tudor Payne is an award-winning Creative Director whose work includes directing films and leading creative projects for prominent global brands such as Linkedin, Microsoft, Nike, Fiat, Ferrari, and the UNHCR. He started his career as a designer helping to create household brands on Channel 4 like the ‘Big Breakfast’ and ‘The Word,’. He soon became a creative executive at Viacom playing a pivotal role in developing multiple Showtime brands like Paramount Comedy, Nickelodeon, and MTV. During this time, he served as the creative director for MTV’s ground-breaking worldwide HIV campaign supported by Nelson Mandela. His short film ‘Undefeated’ about the life of a young girl living with HIV premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to garner a host of awards worldwide.
‘Recognising the significant gap in mental health support for children from diverse communities, who are not accessing the assistance they desperately require, ‘The Reflection Project’ stands as an indispensable initiative within our society. We must all throw our support behind this essential project to avoid the devastating consequences of more children falling through the cracks.’
Mouna Kalla-Sacranie
Mouna Kalla-Sacranie is a a Communications Specialist with eight years of creative and strategic experience across WPP agencies. As an Associate Director at Blue State, she produced award-winning fundraising campaigns and compelling communications — raising awareness, inspiring action and driving revenue growth for commercial and third-sector clients. Mouna has an extensive track record developing successful communication strategies for some of the world’s largest INGO’s like Save the Children, Amnesty, Oxfam and UNICEF and UNHCR, and is now working in for similar clients in a freelance capacity. Most recently, Mouna has supported on the rebrand of The Reflection Project, helping Rachel redefine the brand positioning, tone of voice and comms approach going forward.
“The Reflection Project is a vital lifeline for Muslim-heritage children and their families. Rachel and the other therapists on staff provide a safe, judgement-free zone where young people they can express their faith and cultural identity without fear or hesitation. So many children from diverse backgrounds aren’t currently getting the help they need. The Reflection Project is here to ensure that this changes.”
Khuzuma Akhtar
Khuzuma Akhtar is a Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist by profession. She holds both a clinical qualification and a professional doctorate in her field. Khuzuma has worked in child and adolescent mental health settings for the past 25 years in various specialist adolescent and school services as well as children and young people’s mental health services in London, the Midlands and Hertfordshire. Khuzuma currently works at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust in two roles, her clinical role as a senior clinician in the Child and Family Department and as a Course Lead, heading the Masters training course “Psychological Therapies Working with Children, Young People and Families”. Khuzuma is passionate about using her expertise outside of her jobs within the community. For instance, she has run self-confidence workshops for teenaged Muslim girls, co-run a coffee morning group for Muslim mothers of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Condition and is Safeguarding Officer at her local archery club.
“In sha Allah, I’m very much looking forward to using my skills and experience ma sha Allah tabarak Allah to support this beautiful and commendable project which is already making such an impactful and positive difference to the lives and mental health of young people and their families.”
Our Team
Maaria Mahmood
Interim CEO
Maaria became our Interim CEO in September 2025. She was previously CEO of Muslim Youth Helpline for 5 years.
Details to follow.
Dr Hina Dadabhoy
Clinical Lead, Clinical Psychologist
Hina became our Clinical Lead in October 2025.
Details to follow.
Maryam Moha
Clinical Supervisor, Psychotherapist (Children, Young People & Families)
Maryam has several years experience as a therapist with children and young people in various community settings, such as Place2Be, Tavistock Outreach in Primary Schools (TOPS) and Open Door. She has a postgraduate diploma with Place2Be, and a masters degree in Perinatal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Work, at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
Maryam is of Iranian heritage and speaks Farsi fluently.
Dr Rachel Abedi
Clinical Supervisor
Rachel is an ACP-registered Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with experience in NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), schools, the voluntary/third sector and in private practice. She has taught on postgraduate courses at the Tavistock & Portman, including doctoral research supervision.
Rachel has a particular interest in issues of identity, and the impact of intersectional aspects (e.g. faith, culture, experiences of poverty, prejudice and racism) on access to mental healthcare for children. She is a keen advocate of further research into issues affecting the mental and emotional welfare of Muslim children and young people. Her passion and expertise in this area led to the founding of The Reflection Project.
Faizah Nawaz
Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist in Doctoral Training
Faizah is a dedicated Muslim woman of South Asian heritage with a deep passion for child development and psychotherapy. With a masters degree in Early Child Development from UCL and the Anna Freud Centre, she has extensive experience working with children in both educational and clinical settings. She is currently on a 4-year NHS doctoral training with IPCAPA to become a fully qualified Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist. This, coupled with her work at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, has resulted in rich connections between her theoretical understanding and clinical work.
Faizah’s blend of cultural insight and professional expertise allows her to create a safe and nurturing therapeutic environment for young minds.
Shumaila Rashid
Integrative Therapist & Counsellor
Details to follow.
Ghazala Noreen Khattak
Integrative Psychotherapist
Ghazala is a UKCP-Accredited Multicultural Integrative Psychotherapist, and offers therapy in English, Pashto and Urdu.
Negar Bastani
Assistant Therapist
Negar’s journey reflects a deep commitment to child development and psychotherapy. With a background in psychology and several years experience working with children in various settings, Negar brings a wealth of knowledge and empathy to her roles. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Perinatal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Work at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, enhancing her expertise in supporting children and families.
Negar has significant experience working with children with special educational needs (SEN), including those with ASD and ADHD. She has worked with migrant child labourers in Iran with Setak NGO, providing emotional support and teaching basic literacy skills. These children, some as young as 5 or 6 years old, were mainly from Afghanistan, often living in very poor conditions and far from their families. The work helped Negar to gain a deeper understanding of engaging with children from other cultures.
Hana Hajaj
Assistant Therapist
Hana is of Palestinian heritage and offers therapy in English and Arabic.
Our Strategists
Maazin Buhari
Growth and Fundraising Strategist
Maazin works as a Business and Program Development Associate for the Middle East and Africa at the Milken Institute; a global nonpartisan financial think tank producing research on healthcare, climate change, and financial inclusivity. MI broadly works to help people live more meaningful lives and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Before this, Maazin worked in boutique management consulting and at a food technology startup. Maazin is a published writer (print and digital) and outside of his 9-5 enjoys all sorts of outdoor activity, independent cinema, and cooking (stage culinaire at two Michelin 1* restaurants in West London).
Maazin’s experience with the nonprofit sector includes his time working with the Seethakathi Trust – his Grandfather’s long-established single-family institution in South India, his fundraising for the Scottish Refugee Council, and his working with Frontline. Maazin has a degree in (MA) Politics, and Economic and Social History from the University of Edinburgh.
With The Reflection Project – Maazin’s role will cover The Reflection Project’s growth strategy and fundraising, working on donor strategy (including but not limited to working with High Net Worth Individuals and family offices), advising on grant applications, and providing a high-level steer on TRP’s establishment and growth as a new charity.
Hannah Syed
Communications and Management Strategist
Hannah currently works as the Manager of Partner and Affiliate Engagement, with the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, a global charity supporting people living with this rare cancer. Her role includes leading the annual International Patient Forum as well as helping smaller patient support groups across the globe to increase their members, educate their communities and create sustainable support groups.
Hannah has a degree in Biochemistry and has worked as a Project Manager with over 10 years of experience in Medical Communications and Patient Education.
She is adept at organising international events across continents and working with global colleagues and clients. Her also experience includes managing virtual events, educational platforms for patients and healthcare professionals, and developing marketing plans. She has worked across therapeutic areas such as oncology, diabetes, and rare diseases.
Hannah aims to utilise her experience within the non-profit and communications sector in order to support The Reflection Project. She also has 2 young children, so she understands the vital need to support Muslim children with their mental health and recognises the brilliant work that The Reflection Project are undertaking.
The Reflection Project 