Tariq Elsaid is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)  and Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapist (TiiP) whose work bridges clinical rigor with deep cultural and theological insight. He completed his Master of Social Work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, lauded as the #1 program in the nation, where he also earned Graduate Certificates in both Critical Translation Studies and Interprofessional Trauma-Informed Practice, alongside his fellowship at the esteemed LIFE program — Longitudinal Interprofessional Family-based Experience.

His capstone, which reimagined culturally competent psychotherapy through the translation of an Arabic lyric, received multiple poetry awards, publications, an interview at NPR, and earned him a seat on the Editorial Board of the National Association for Poetry Therapy. Tariq’s research and clinical writings have appeared in peer-reviewed journals including the International Review of Psychiatry. Alongside his therapeutic practice, he serves as an academic peer reviewer for Taylor & Francis. 

Tariq’s therapeutic practice is grounded in a unique interdisciplinary approach that harmonizes three great traditions based on their psycho-spiritual similarities and health-based objectives. The Islamic sciences of theology and ethical spirituality, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Aristotelian ethics. Tariq was introduced to this potential amidst his studies at Darul Qasim in Chicago, and later Dar Al-Rayyan in Cairo, where he was immersed in the disciplines of traditional logic, classical Arabic, discursive theology, history, interpretative methodologies of jurisprudence, Ghazalian Philosophy, and Spiritual ethics. He was later introduced to TCM, its Yin-Yang philosophies and psychological potential, along with its somatic application through his continual practice of QiGong with his coach and mentor. 

His approach at UnderCurrent combines the principles of TCM, Unani Tibb, and Islamic Psychotherapy together with evidence-based scientific modalities to maximize the efficacy of holistic wellness for each of his clients. 

In addition to clinical work, Tariq delivers workshops and presentations on a range of topics including premarital courtship, marriage and relationships, masculinity and men’s health, Islamic psychology, history, and cultural humility in psychotherapy. His style combines scholarly depth with clinical precision—offering clients not only a path to holistic healing but a framework for meaning, identity, and sustainable transformation.