Hamdard’s program philosophy is deeply rooted in our family and community values and our cultural and religious traditions and practices. One of the highly prioritized goals of our programs and services is the preservation, stabilization, and rehabilitation of our dysfunctional families. We have designed Hamdard program and services to strengthen and support families and to give people in distress a sense of hope. Hamdard uses a holistic, integrated service delivery model with heavy emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

Our mental health services are staffed by trained and credentialed mental health counselors, social workers, clinical psychologist, and psychiatric consultants. It is the most widely used program by men, women, children, and elders seeking professional help for depression, anxiety, adjustment at work and at home, acculturation difficulties, family conflicts, intergenerational conflicts, marital problems, just to name a few. Hamdard helps senior members of our community who feel abandoned and lost. Hamdard also provides assessment and evaluation for disability benefits and SSI. Our professionals frequently run into teenage girls who have attempted to hurt themselves due to the overwhelming family pressure and multiple stressors, but most notably violence at home.

Hamdard receives referrals from area hospitals, schools, courts, Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), religious centers, and other social service agencies. We see parents who have been mandated by the courts to seek help at Hamdard for assessment and counseling, especially when their children in DCFS custody. Over the last several years, we have seen growing number of men and women initiating self referrals to seek help for themselves and their families. This is a good sign indeed!

Our professionals have seen positive outcomes when clients seek help at an early stage, especially in cases of marital discord and domestic violence. We have also noted that most community members who seek help at Hamdard suffer from chronic, multiple problems and have severe barriers accessing mainstream services. All services are free and strict confidentiality is maintained.