This is why Therapy Works has come under question following Noor Mukadam’s murder

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What happened on Tuesday: Noor Mukadam, 27, daughter of former diplomat Shaukat Mukadam, was found murdered at a private residence in Islamabad’s upscale Sector F-7/4 on Tuesday night. The brutal murder has gained national interest, with #JusticeforNoor standing at the number one trend on Twitter as people rally against the murder that was allegedly committed by Zahir Zakir, the son of an influential businessman. About Therapy Works: A counselling and psychotherapy centre operating in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi, Therapy Works has a network of therapists in said cities and also conducts courses which allow individuals to become trained counsellors. How the organisation is involved: Following the murder of Noor Mukadam, multiple social media posts went up on Twitter and Instagram calling for Therapy Works to be banned, alleging that the accused, Zahir Jaffer, had obtained certification from the organisation and was practising as a counsellor.

https://twitter.com utellastaan/status/1417890080165859328?s=20

The tweet below shows the accused, Zahir Jaffar, photographed after a counselling session with students at Beaconhouse

The response: The organisation shared a statement on its social media assets soon after the murder. The statement reads, “Zahir Jaffer was enrolled as a student in UK Level 3 from September 2015 to September 2016. After this he joined UK Level 4 from October 2016 to June 2018 . He did not complete his coursework and International Essays, and accordingly was never ever given permission to see clients.”

However, pictures from the Therapy Works Instagram page show Zahir Jaffer enrolled in a Level 5 training course. While people have claimed that the accused received certification from the organisation, Therapy Works denies such a document being issued.

Reactions: In light of the recent events, Twitter user @Rameezay shared her experience of reaching out to Therapy Works to obtain verification regarding the certification of a therapist trained by the organisation, only to be told she was holding a ‘personal vendetta’.

Sadaf Faisal, an ex-student of the organisation stated she had to leave because she was “unable to deal with these narcissistic bullies”.

What else: The Therapy Works website claims it is associated with the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) in the United Kingdom and is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). In the aftermath of the recent allegations against the organisation, Twitter user @Nutellastaan tweeted asking BACP whether Therapy Works was a member with them, to which BACP replied that it is not a member and they have “contacted them to ask they remove the BACP logo from their website and other advertising materials.” The CPCAB tweeted that it was conducting an investigation into the matter as well.

Journalist Tom Hussain has tweeted that the Islamabad Police will also be interviewing the management of Therapy Works.

The accused’s mental health: Individual accounts have stated that the accused, Zahir Jaffer, suffered from schizophrenia but ProperGaanda could not independently confirm this. The accounts allege he was treated at Therapy Works after which he himself received certification to practise as a counsellor.

However, the police officer supervising the investigation said that when they arrested Zahir Jaffer “he was sound and in his senses. He may have had a past history [of taking drugs] but at least at this time he was completely in his senses.” Click here to see more from Propergaanda.

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