Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye is a therapist, storyteller, and peacebuilder with over three decades of service to the underserved. Her approach to healing is a blend of wisdom, science, and ancient spiritual practices. She is the founder of the Heart Nest Center for Peace and Healing in Baltimore, Maryland, where she lovingly serves individuals, couples, other healers, and small groups. She has served multiple communities in the wake of natural disasters, acts of terror, and mass shootings across the United States and around the world.

Fatima has a Master’s of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and a PhD in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She is a licensed in Virginia as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She also earned a Master’s in Shari’ah Sciences from the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences. She has completed continuing education workshops in psychodrama, sensorimotor psychotherapy, journal therapy, and somatic experiencing. She is an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 1 trained therapist.

Ailya is a chaplain, pastoral counselor, and holistic healer, who integrates spirituality with trauma-informed counseling and care to address the whole person in her healing work. The heart of chaplaincy work for Ailya is walking alongside someone on their journey of self knowledge and growth, supporting and accompanying them through life’s challenges and joys, and helping them discover the tools for healing, wholeness, and peace that ultimately lie within themselves. For those seeking holistic healing, Ailya also integrates breathwork, prayer, and various somatic modalities that support the release of emotional blockages, stress, and trauma.

Nora is a daughter, wife and mother to an active three-year-old son and newborn baby. She most recently served as the Muslim and interfaith chaplain at Dominican University in Chicago. Nora received an MA in Religious and Islamic Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (2024), a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from the University of Chicago (2017), and holds a BA from the University of Florida (2013) in Arabic, Religion and Political Science. She is the founder of www.mymuslimchaplain.com, which offers chaplain consultation services. She has previously served as the Muslim chaplain at Vassar and Bard Colleges. Nora has experience in hospital and prison chaplaincy. Nora is fluent in Arabic and is a beginner speaker of Turkish.

Faarah provides educational talks and programming with Alanur. She completed her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Antioch University Seattle and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Washington (UW). She has research experience with the Social Psychology department of UW as well as Non-profit administration experience with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Seattle. Faarah currently provides couples and family counseling at Alanur and Nourish Therapy and Wellness in Skippack, PA. Read more about Faarah’s services at www.healingwithfaarah.com.

Chaplain Patty is the founder of Alanur in addition to serving as Chaplain and Director for Muslim Life at the University of Pennsylvania. She has come into chaplaincy with a background of working with Muslim, interfaith, academic and peace-building institutions, including: the International Interfaith Peace Corps, Islamic Society of North America, Islamic Relief, Pillars of Peace, and American University, among others. Patricia received her BA in International Relations from the Ohio State University, MA in Islamic Studies from the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences, A Graduate Fellowship in Non-Profit Management and Governance from Indiana University, additional graduate studies at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program and is a certified mediator. She currently serves on the board of the Muslim Endorsement Council.

Sevim Kalyoncu is an environmental educator who serves as the executive director of Green Muslims, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization working to help connect the American Muslim community with nature and climate action. She speaks at local mosques, leads educational nature hikes, and puts together Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences (MWEEs) through Green Muslims’ Our Deen (Faith) is Green! youth education program and From the Ground Up! adult EE (environmental education) classes. Through this work, she strives to encourage a spiritual connection with nature as well as environmental and climate awareness that is rooted in an Islamic understanding of environmental stewardship. In addition to her work with Green Muslims, Sevim teaches nature and outdoor-skill classes through schools and homeschool programs and volunteers as a master naturalist

Amina El Banayosy serves on Alanur’s Board with an interest in faith-based wellness and holistic mental health. Amina graduated with a Bsc from the University of Birmingham in the UK, she trained and worked as a professional photographer. She later worked in the field of education, in and outside classroom settings. She holds a graduate certificate in Learning and Technology and is fascinated by human development and knowledge acquisition. She loves innovative learning designs that facilitate growth. She has a certificate in equine facilitated learning and is dedicated to advancing and re-introducing our Muslim understanding of the spiritual and mental health benefits of human-horse relationships.

Melissa is a program coordinator with Alanur. She is pursuing a Master of Social Service at Bryn Mawr College, with the goal of becoming a LCSW. Melissa graduated in 2024 with a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked on several study teams, including a clinical trial exploring a collaborative care model for suboxone treatment in primary care settings. She has studied mental health care infrastructure internationally, interning with the Global Livingston Institute in Uganda. Melissa is currently a research assistant with Dr. Cindy Sousa, studying family resilience during war in Ukraine and Palestine.