"Harmonizing Mind, Faith, Music, Identity, and Mental Health: Advancing the Interdisciplinary Frontiers of Psychology of Religion"

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Her academic and professional journey interweaves psychology, religion, and identity, driven by a commitment to understanding the human psyche through empirical and spiritual lenses. From her foundational studies in psychology to her specialized work in Islamic psychology, her path has been one of exploration, synthesis, and application.

She earned a BA in Psychology, developing an early interest in how belief systems shape human behavior and emotional well-being. This curiosity deepened during her MA in Clinical Psychology, where she explored therapeutic modalities emphasizing cultural and religious contexts. She completed her Ph.D. in the Psychology of Religion at Marmara University in 2018, with a dissertation on religious-based music therapy. This research inspired her to pursue a second MA in Musicology at Istanbul Technical University, which she completed in 2025.

A turning point in her career was her engagement with Stanford University’s Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology Lab in 2024, where she worked as a research consultant. Studying under Dr. Malik Badri in 2019 further refined her theoretical framework in Islamic psychology. Additionally, her postgraduate studies in Islamic Psychology at Cambridge Muslim College in 2024 enriched her approach to integrating Islamic principles into contemporary therapeutic practices.

Her research investigates the relationship between mental health and religion. One study explored religious coping, life satisfaction, hope, and psychological resilience, showing that positive religious coping enhances psychological well-being while negative religious coping has adverse effects. These findings underscored the protective role of faith in mental health and its impact on social identity.

Her contributions extend to community-based interventions. She has authored book chapters on spiritual counseling and guidance in Türkiye, particularly in child protection centers, elderly care homes, and youth centers (Kaya-Göktepe, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2025). These works introduce evidence-based models tailored to the Turkish context, equipping spiritual counselors with practical tools.

Her doctoral dissertation examined the effects of religious-based music therapy on university students’ flow experience, psychological resilience, and perceived stress. The study found that while religious-based music therapy did not significantly impact state anxiety and positive affect levels, it effectively reduced perceived stress and negative affect. A significant decrease in trait anxiety was observed in follow-up assessments (Kaya, 2018). The research highlighted music’s capacity to evoke cognitive associations and promote inner peace (Kaya-Göktepe & Düzgüner, 2021). This study also led to further historical research on Ottoman-era music therapy practices.

She is deeply engaged in historical and literary aspects of Islamic psychology. She translated and annotated Al-Balkhi’s The Sustenance of the Soul into Turkish, making classical wisdom accessible to contemporary audiences. Her chapter on Süleymaniye Dārüşşifa (House of Healing) in an upcoming book on Maristan, led by Dr. Rania Awaad’s lab at Stanford, explores historical models of mental health care and their relevance today.

Her research also investigates the intersection of music, religion, and identity. With over a decade of training in classical Turkish music and ney (reed flute) playing, she has examined how Ottoman pedagogical systems, such as the meşk (master-apprentice) method, foster moral and spiritual growth. She will present this research at the IAPR Conference in 2025. Additionally, her work examines how music serves as a social identity marker (Kaya-Göktepe, 2019).

Her studies extend to media’s role in identity reconstruction. In 2023, she analyzed a film about Bergen, a Turkish singer murdered by her partner, finding that media representations transform victimized figures into symbols of feminist activism (Kaya-Göktepe, 2023). Further research explores how religious attitudes mediate the relationship between personality traits and music preferences, mitigating the stigmatization of musical tastes (Kaya-Göktepe, 2024).

Her recent studies examine religious coping, emotional eating, burnout, perceived stress, and loneliness in college students, demonstrating the protective role of religious coping in psychoeducational interventions. This research is under review and expected to be published in 2025-2026.

At the core of her work is a dedication to integrating psychology, religion, and culture into spiritually and culturally sensitive therapeutic practices. By bridging historical wisdom with contemporary research, she aims to advance Islamic psychology with a holistic approach to mental well-being. To further these goals, she initiated the establishment of the Research Laboratory for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, where she is an assistant professor, and is currently awaiting final approval.