Working with Iranian Immigrant Women: Understanding Perfectionism and the Immigration Experience
Event Details
📅 Date: October 15, 2026
🕕 Time: 12:00–1:00 PM (PT)
💻 Location: Zoom (link provided upon registration)
Workshop for Healthcare Professionals, Educators, Managers & Community Providers
Why This Training?
Iranian immigrant women often navigate a unique intersection of cultural expectations, perfectionism, trauma, and immigration-related experiences that can significantly influence their mental health, confidence, relationships, workplace functioning, and help-seeking behaviours. While these experiences are not always immediately visible, understanding them can help professionals provide more culturally responsive and effective support.
Drawing on her doctoral research exploring the lived experiences of perfectionism among Iranian immigrant women in Canada, Dr. Yasaman Madanikia shares research findings, clinical insights, and practical strategies to help professionals better understand and support this population.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn to:
- Understand how Iranian culture, family expectations, and immigration experiences can shape perfectionism.
- Recognize how perfectionism influences mental health, confidence, relationships, workplace functioning, and the immigration experience.
- Identify common barriers Iranian immigrant women may experience when seeking employment, mental health care, and community support.
- Apply practical, culturally responsive strategies that can be immediately integrated into clinical, educational, workplace, and community settings.
Workshop Highlights
This workshop explores Iranian culture beyond common stereotypes and examines perfectionism through a cultural lens. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how trauma, identity, immigration, family expectations, and shame can influence the experiences of Iranian immigrant women. Through research findings, real-world clinical examples, and practical recommendations, attendees will leave with greater confidence in providing culturally responsive and compassionate support.
Who Should Attend?
- Counsellors, Psychologists, and Social Workers
- Physicians, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, and Physiotherapists
- Case Managers (including WorkBC, WorkSafeBC, and ICBC)
- Teachers, School Counsellors, and Educational Professionals
- Managers, Supervisors, Human Resource Professionals, and Workplace Leaders
- Settlement Workers and Community Service Providers
- Anyone working with or supporting Iranian immigrant women
And more!
- All attendees will be entered into a draw to win a $100 Starbucks gift card
About the Presenter
Dr. Yasaman Madanikia, Psy.D., RCC is the Founder and Clinical Director of Expressions Counselling, a multi-site counselling practice serving communities across British Columbia. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, EMDR Certified Therapist and Consultant, and holds a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.).
Yasaman’s doctoral research explored the lived experiences of perfectionism among Iranian immigrant women in Canada. As an Iranian immigrant herself, she combines lived experience with over ten years of clinical experience supporting immigrants, refugees, and culturally diverse communities. Throughout her career, she has worked extensively with Iranian clients navigating trauma, perfectionism, identity, family dynamics, immigration, and mental health concerns.
Through this workshop, Yasaman translates her doctoral research into practical, evidence-informed strategies that professionals can immediately apply to better support Iranian immigrant women in healthcare, education, employment, and community settings.