ZAN

It would be nice to pinpoint an 'aha!' moment that led to the creation of Zan, but in reality, Zan was a long-time coming. From the everyday slights faced by women to the more severe forms of discriminatory violence against the entire gender, the notion of Zan is not surprising or ground-breaking - rather, it is necessary. Zan is a platform of support for women to let their guard down and share the burdens they carry, in a safe space. With services ranging from individualized to group therapy, Zan focuses on the mental health of women from all backgrounds. At the moment, we offer online psychotherapy sessions that focus on individual growth and healing. In the future, we aim to facilitate the movement of women empowerment and female mental health on a larger scale, contributing to the works that we are so inspired by. We emphasize the importance of women supporting women and this concept is not limited to clinic rooms or therapy chairs. We look to celebrate women through a variety of social activities, research studies, volunteer work, occupational counseling, and any other shape or form this idea may take. Zan is founded and run by Ummama Wajid. She is a psychotherapist who trained in Islamabad after completing her Masters' degree from Queen Mary University of London in Mental Health and Psychological Therapies. She launched Zan as an online space that caters specifically to women, particularly in the South Asian region, with a trauma-informed and client-centric approach. Her certifications include Trauma Therapy, Eidetic (Image-Based) Therapy and Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy. At Zan, every individual is unique, and, therefore the therapeutic process should be tailored to the client's needs, goals, and desires. While that means that no two therapeutic processes are exactly alike, the focus is always on providing a safe space for clients to voice their concerns, feel heard, and become empowered.