Solemn Stream Circle: What We Carry Faith, Creativity & Mental Health

Solemn Stream Circle: What We Carry

Faith, Creativity & Mental Health

What are you carrying that the people around you may never see?

We all carry something.

Struggles we don't always talk about. Questions about ourselves and our lives. Loneliness, uncertainty, grief, anxiety, hope, faith, and the search for meaning through difficult seasons.

Solemn Stream Circle is a new community gathering creating space for more honest conversations at the intersection of faith, creativity and mental health.

Rooted in the Muslim experience while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds, our inaugural Circle explores the theme “What We Carry.”

Rather than a lecture or clinical workshop, this will be an intimate and participatory evening of conversation, poetry, creative reflection and connection.

Featured Conversation

Host and facilitator Bassem Elghawaby, author of Solemn Stream: A Poetic Journey through Faith and Bipolar, will be joined by Berak Hussain, MA, RP, Registered Psychotherapist, founder of Serene Nafs Wellness and “The Muslim Counsellor.”

Drawing from Bassem's lived experience, writing and poetry alongside Berak's more than 20 years of experience in mental health, counselling, community education and advocacy, they will explore the places where psychology, spirituality, creativity and community intersect.

Together, they'll delve into questions such as:

• What are we carrying internally that others may never see?

• Why can it be difficult to acknowledge when we're struggling?

• How can faith genuinely support us through emotional and mental health challenges without oversimplifying those struggles?

• Where do stigma and misunderstandings around mental health still show up within Muslim communities?

• What does healthy vulnerability look like?

• What role can poetry and creative writing play in expressing what ordinary conversation sometimes cannot?

• When someone tells us they're struggling, what actually helps?

• How can faith, creativity and community help us move toward hope?

Bassem will also share from his own lived and creative journey, and participants will be invited into a simple creative writing and reflection exercise before opening the conversation more broadly to the Circle.

You are welcome to share. You are equally welcome simply to listen.

No one will be expected to disclose personal mental health experiences.

About Berak Hussain

Berak Hussain, MA, RP is a Registered Psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health, counselling, community education and advocacy.

As the founder of Serene Nafs Wellness and through The Muslim Counsellor, her work focuses on trauma, grief, anxiety, relationships, identity and emotional wellbeing through culturally responsive and faith-integrated approaches.

She is particularly passionate about bridging psychology, spirituality and community to make conversations about mental health more accessible, compassionate and relevant to Muslim and culturally diverse communities.

Instagram: @sereneNafsWellness | @TheMuslimCounsellor | @berak_hussain

About Bassem Elghawaby

Bassem Elghawaby is an Ottawa-based writer, poet, storyteller, community builder and founder of Grassroots Multimedia. He is the author of Solemn Stream: A Poetic Journey through Faith and Bipolar, a deeply personal collection exploring the intersections of faith, mental health, struggle, resilience and hope.

Through Solemn Stream Circle, Bassem brings together lived experience, creative expression and community conversation to help create spaces where people can speak more honestly, listen more deeply and feel less alone.

About Solemn Stream Circle

Solemn Stream Circle brings together faith, creativity, mental wellbeing and community through honest conversation and creative expression.

Emerging from the Muslim community and Bassem's own journey with faith, mental health and poetry, the Circle creates an inclusive space where people of other faiths and backgrounds are warmly welcomed.

This inaugural gathering is envisioned as the beginning of a recurring series exploring different dimensions of mental wellbeing, spirituality, creativity, belonging and the human experience.

Community & Partnership

This inaugural Solemn Stream Circle is sponsored and hosted by Collaburo Coworking & Events Space, as part of its commitment to creating space for meaningful community conversations, creativity, connection and collaboration.

Muslim Link joins the inaugural Circle as a Community Partner, building on its considerable work and engagement around mental health awareness and conversations within Muslim communities.

Event Details

Sunday, August 30, 2026
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Collaburo Coworking & Events Space
Ottawa's Little Italy

Admission: FREE

Space is limited. Please register in advance to reserve your place and help us maintain the intimate nature of the Circle.

What to Expect

Come as you are.

You don't need to be a writer, poet or mental health professional. You don't need to prepare anything, and you will never be required to share something personal.

Come to listen, reflect, write, connect and take part in a conversation that we don't always give ourselves enough space to have.

A Note About Mental Health

Solemn Stream Circle is a community conversation and creative gathering. It is not group therapy and is not intended as a substitute for professional mental health care, diagnosis or treatment.

Participants are encouraged to engage at whatever level feels comfortable, and sharing personal experiences is always optional.