Telepsychiatrist Jamal Daher’s mission is to help people reclaim their lives and find joy in living.

Jamal Daher has been a successful mental health practitioner for several years, but he recently made two big moves—one professional and one personal.

“I had been living in Texas for a few years and working as a telepsychiatrist. My wife was pregnant with our first child, and all our family was in Milwaukee. We did a lot of thinking; had many conversations about work and money and decided that family comes before everything else, so we decided to move back,” Daher said.

In Texas, both Daher and his wife, Faezh, were working virtually, which made the move back to Wisconsin in February 2024 less complicated. After settling in and being here for about a year, Daher decided to establish his own practice, Mindora Mental Health & Wellness. It offers telepsychiatry care for anxiety, depression, ADHD and mental health medication management. 

“I started my own practice for many reasons,” Daher said. “I wanted to do something that made a difference locally. Being able to serve as a resource for my community pushed me to pursue that. There definitely is a gap in terms of mental health care available, especially in my community. I decided I wanted to apply all my experience and everything that I’ve learned to help people in my community and beyond.”

According to the American Psychiatric Association, there is a stigma about mental illness within the Muslim community and the reluctance to seek help is compounded by a health care system that rarely provides linguistically and culturally appropriate care to people of the Muslim faith. 

“Stigmas about mental illness prevent many people from seeking help. But if you have commonalities with your clients—the same religion, you speak the same language or share a similar culture—it does make it easier for them to reach out to you and trust you,” Daher said. In addition, he said, virtual therapy offers his clients convenience, accessibility and the comfort and privacy of their own space. 

A maternal mentor

Another influence on Daher’s decision to start his own practice came from his mentor and role model.

“My mom has always been an influence in my life and in many of the decisions I’ve made. I’ve seen my mom change a lot of lives through her work and I think that desire to take care of people rubbed off on me. She is the ultimate role model.”

Daher’s mother, Aziza Daher, is a multilingual (Arabic) psychotherapist in Milwaukee offering care through Zena Counseling Center. She established her practice in 2018 after practicing for many years with other clinics and centers. As a mother, she is proud of her son. As a fellow professional, she respects his approach to mental health care.

Aziza and her son, Jamal Daher 

“I’ve worked with many psychiatrists throughout my career and have seen how they work with clients. Jamal is a very compassionate person who really takes time with each person to truly understand their issues. That’s how he can create individualized treatment plans. He encourages coping skills and natural approaches to try to minimize the amount of medication clients must take. As a professional, I appreciate that,” Aziza said. “When you have an intention to do good, everything falls into place and that’s what Jamal has done.”

Both agree that there is a strong connection between physical health and mental wellness.

“It’s very interconnected,” said Daher, who has been into sports, fitness and health since he was young. “That’s why I always encourage my clients to add physical activity to their routine—simply incorporating 30 or 60 minutes of walking into your day is shown to have a significant positive impact on your mental health. And paying attention to good nutrition, eating a Mediterranean diet, is so important, as well.”

Guided by intention

Daher said his mission is to help people reclaim their lives and find joy in living.

“Everyone experiences some sort of mental health issue during their life. Creating customized treatment plans that help people improve their mental health is very fulfilling.”  

Since it started six months ago, Daher’s practice has begun to flourish.

“It’s going even better than I had thought it would. Of course, I faced all the hurdles that come with opening a new practice, but thankfully, over time, through word-of-mouth recommendations and social media, the word is getting out about me, and my practice is growing.”

His mom is not surprised.

“I always know he will do well because he’s Jamal,” she said.