The Bahá'í Association of Mental Health Professionals
Annual Report - 2004 - 2005
2004- 2005 ANNUAL REPORT
Bahá'í Association of Mental Health Professionals, Inc.
Board of Directors:
Dr. James Bartee, Dr. Larry McCullough, Dr. Michael Penn, Ms. Mary K. Radpour, Ms.
Adrienne Stengel, Ms. Heidi Wood
The Bahá'í Association of Mental Health Professionals (BAMHP) is a non-profit,
Bahá'í-inspired organization designed to serve the intellectual, social and spiritual needs
of practitioners, researchers and theoreticians who desire to apply the insights contained
in the Bahá'í writings to the mental health professions. It is incorporated in the State of
Illinois as a non-profit corporation, and the National Spiritual Assembly serves as its
“sole member” with the Board of Directors serving at its appointment. Because the Bahá'í
Association of Mental Health Professionals holds its annual meeting in the fall of each
year, this report reviews the accomplishments in the years 2004-2005. BAMHP
accomplished the agenda set for itself by its Board:
a) Maintenance of the membership of approximately 70 mental health
professionals;
b) The holding of an annual conference at Bosch Bahá'í school, on the theme of
“The Brain and the Spirit: In Search of the Whole Self.” The purpose of this year’s
conference was to explore new discoveries in neurobiology and their implications for
therapeutic interventions for mental health. It involved presentations and performances
on the construction of racial, moral, cultural and spiritual identity, as well as discussions
of their implications for mental health and spiritual development. Presenters at this year’s
conference and their topics were:
 Ms. Adrienne Stengel, Dr. James Bartee, Dr. Heidi Spencer and Dr. Homa
Mahmoudi, in a panel presentation on the integration of spiritual perspectives into
treatment;
 Hal Williamson, CEO of Hope Unlimited, “These Amazing Brains.”
 Dr. Pat Romano-McGraw , “Creating Your Own Reality;”
 Dr. James Bartee, “Spirituality and Psychology: Am Emerging Partnership.”
 Dr. Bruce Lipton, “The Biology of Belief.”
 Dr. Azin Nasseri, “The Pathways of Love.”
 Michelle Thulen-Steele and Tuli Rode, on “The Seven Valleys.”
 Dr. Heidi Spencer, on the power of family relationships in creating an identity.
c) The nomination of members to the BAMHP Board at the annual meeting to
replace the two members whose term of office had ended. This year the new nominations
were for Dr. James Bartee and Dr. Lawrence McCullough.
d) Inviting the participation of non-Bahá'í presenters and attendees at the
conference, through the invitation of Hal Williamson and Dr. Bruce Lipton
e) Maintenance of the BAMHP website at www.bamhp.org with conference
reports, abstracts of presentations, presentation papers; statement of purpose and various
other useful documents;
f) Auditing of the BAMHP books;
g) Planning and promotion of the upcoming conference on the theme: “The
Psychology of Peace: Society and the Transcendent Self,” to be held at Green Acre
Bahá'í School in support of the celebration of the signing of the Portsmouth
Peace Treaty.
h) Continuing promotion of the booklet, Some Guidance for Spiritual Assemblies
Regarding Mental Illness and Its Treatment through the website.
Several new initiatives were also begun:
a) Plans are underway for a interdisciplinary symposium sponsored by BAMHP
which would invite others to help us envision the next stage in the development of this
initiative. We would invite a number of presenters to share their work and then to
articulate how BAMHP might be of assistance to them, and they might be of assistance to
BAMHP.
b) Plans are also underway for a collaboration with BNASAA in the development
of materials and initiatives which would specifically assist young people in arenas of
sexuality.
Among the remaining unaccomplished challenges which must engage the Board are the
following goals articulated in previous years:
a) Greater participation of minorities in the work of BAMHP;
b) Obtaining professional continuing education credits for attendance at the
BAMHP conference;
c) Stimulating fuller participation of non-Baha’is in BAMHP conferences and
initiatives.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary K. Radpour, Chairperson
Baha’i Association of Mental Health Professionals