Bangladesh

Professor M. Kamruzzaman Mozumder 

Dr. M. Kamruzzaman Mozumder is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and is currently serving as the President of the Bangladesh Clinical Psychology Society (BCPS). As a Fulbright scholar, he also worked as a visiting professor at the Graduate Psychology Department of James Madison University, Virginia, USA.

After earning B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology and M.Sc. and M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dhaka, he received Ph.D. degree from Monash University for his research titled 'Cognitive Determinants of Racial Prejudices'. He received Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in 2017 and worked at the East London NHS, the UK to learn Systemic and Family Therapy. Along with his active teaching and clinical career, he has published articles in different academic journals and presented papers at conferences home and abroad. Dr. Mozumder's area of work includes general mental health, parenting, HIV/AIDS counseling, injecting drug use, LGBT mental health, refugee mental health, tool construction, qualitative research, indigenization, and resource development in research and clinical service.

As a clinician, Dr. Mozumder works mostly with adult mental health problems using cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, narrative therapy, and systemic therapy approaches. At different times, he also served as a consultant for local and international organizations, including the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (BD), the World Health Organization (WHO, SEARO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Family Health International (BD), BRAC (BD), CARE (BD), Save the Children (BD), SAJIDA Foundation (BD), ALANDA Solutions for Healthier World (Norway), and Health Equity Initiatives (Malaysia). His most recent works involved human resource development for mental health service delivery at the Rohingya refugee camp context in Bangladesh (with IOM); stress and burnout management program for UN staffs working with Refugee (with IOM) and with the general population (with UNDP); updating national guideline for oral substitution therapy (with SCI); and need assessment and feasibility study for setting up functional rehabilitation service in Bangladesh (with SAJIDA foundation).

Dr Tarun Kanti Gayen

Tarun had his MS, MPhil and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He started his career as a counselor for people with substance use disorder (SUD) in early nineties and later on became the founder and chief executive of a drug rehabilitation and treatment facility in Dhaka (society for Community-health Rehabilitation Education & Awareness - CREA) and a couple of other cities of Bangladesh.  Besides developing programs for white collar drug users, he also executed a number of HIV projects incorporating comprehensive services for marginalized male and female drug users at the risk of HIV and STI, combining both harm and demand reduction strategies by the help of USAID and UNODC for more than 12 years. Tarun's research interest surrounds substance abuse, adult psychiatric disorders, especially understanding trans diagnostic mechanisms (TDM), as well as implementation science. As a part-time faculty at the department of clinical psychology, University of Dhaka Tarun, besides teaching, provides group and individual clinical supervision and foundational training to the MS and MPhil trainees on a regular basis. As a clinical psychologist, he is a busy practitioner and offers mainly cognitive behavioral therapy and systemic family therapy for his client group. He was the ex-general secretary and current executive committee member of Bangladesh Clinical Psychology Society (BCPS). In CREATE project Tarun is working as the trial manager of Bangladesh site.

 

Afsana Rahman

Afsana Rahman is an MPhil researcher in Clinical Psychology at the University of Dhaka. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology, both from the University of Dhaka. As a committed mental health professional, Afsana has deep interest in research and clinical practice. She continuously seeks to update her knowledge and skills through new information and training. Her research interests are primarily focused on child and adolescent mental health, dissociative disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, and attachment-related issues.

Afsana is a trained practitioner in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with considerable training in clinical assessment, formulation, and intervention for various psychiatric disorders. She has gained hands-on experience as a trainee in two prominent public hospitals in Bangladesh: Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the National Institute of Mental Health. Additionally, Afsana has co-facilitated several training sessions and workshops on various mental health issues. She was also awarded the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award for her extracurricular activities during her studies.

Currently, Afsana is working at the National Institute of Mental Health as a trainee clinical psychologist, where she focuses on treating psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, and also does her research work. Her work is guided by the belief that a deeper understanding of the human mind is the first step toward a more compassionate world.

Delara Jahan

Delara is a Mphil fellow of Department of Clinical Psychology at University of Dhaka and currently working as a research assistant in a project called CREATE. Holding an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a graduation in Clinical Psychology from University of Dhaka, she is committed to advancing knowledge in the field of mental health. She has been awarded National Science and Technology Fellowship by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangladesh, which has enabled her to further her academic pursuits and research and contribute to the mental health community.

Delara's research interests focus on community mental health, with a special emphasis on child and adolescent mental health. She wishes to explore how mental health initiatives can be designed and implemented in community settings to provide more accessible and effective care for vulnerable groups. She presented a paper titled “Understanding the Relationship between Mental Health and Marital Satisfaction among Diabetic Patients” at 6th Bangladesh Clinical Psychology Conference, 2023 as a poster.

Delara has a brief experience of working as a mental health trainer in the organisation of BRAC, where she worked in the health program towards the community, gaining valuable insights into the unique needs of various populations. She practices as a clinician with adult populations using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in a private organisation. She also worked as a volunteer at an organisation called Nurture Life, India for about 6 months.

Nila Farzana Sultana – Creative practitioner

Md. Abu Zahid Hasan

Zahid is a Clinical Psychologist, Art Therapist, and Addiction Professional based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. With an MSc in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dhaka and a Diploma in Art Therapy (India), he specialises in integrating art-based therapeutic approaches. He is currently serving at Bangladesh Psychiatry Care and Uttara University, an ICAP-certified professional, and pursuing a PhD in alternative therapy and healing at South American International University (SAIU), USA.