“I chose this work because families deserve more than survival. They deserve dignity and hope. My own life experiences taught me how powerful it is when someone stands with you through hardship. I want to be that person for others.”
For more than a decade, Noshad has been a steady source of strength for families in crisis. His journey began in Pakistan, where he supported marginalized communities through his work with Caritas Pakistan and witnessed firsthand how injustice and poverty fractures lives. That early calling sparked a lifelong commitment to walking beside families through hardship and helping them find stability and strength. Since working at AAFSC, he deepened his expertise by earning a master’s degree in urban studies from Queens College in 2023 and a second master’s in social work at York College under the ACS scholarship in 2024. This educational foundation, combined with his lived experience and knowledge of systems, allows him to approach each family’s challenges with both professional expertise and empathy.
At AAFSC, where for the past 12 years he’s grown from Case Planner to Conference Facilitator to Functional Family Therapist, Noshad has touched countless lives. One of the moments that stays with him is working with a Punjabi immigrant family devastated by domestic violence, substance abuse, and the fear of deportation and continued displacement. Because he shared the culture and the language, he was able to quickly build trust and respond to their most pressing needs. He connected them to legal aid, public benefits, job training, and trauma-informed counseling. Over time, the family regained their footing. The children found stability, the mother gained employment, and they began a new life free from shackles and shadows of violence.
Every family Noshad meets reminds him of the resilience people carry, even in the most difficult circumstances. He starts every day at work with empathy and humility, knowing that families face challenges beyond what is seen on paper; housing insecurity, language barriers, and the heavy weight of experienced and inherited trauma. To him, being a therapist is also about being a bridge. It’s about connecting those in need to resources and amplifying their voices so they feel seen and heard.
But Noshad doesn’t spend his whole life working! He takes care of himself by finding joy in soulful Hindi music, peaceful walks by the Hudson, and the comforting taste of daal chawal, his favorite dish. His favorite Arabic word is Shukran—Thank you—a reflection of the gratitude and warmth that fills his work every day.
—
Noshad is a Functional Family Therapist at the Arab American Family Support Center, where he supports diverse families across NYC, including immigrant and refugee communities, by strengthening them through culturally responsive, home-based therapy, advocacy, and child welfare intervention. To learn more about our work, visit aafscny.org.