During my years as a trainee counsellor, I worked in various voluntary sector projects. Several of my roles supported men and women struggling with an addiction, and in others, I helped women to think about their emotional health and the reason they wanted to access therapeutic support. During this period I was instrumental in setting up and developing a counselling service for women from the South Asian community - an important milestone in addressing the gaps/barriers women from the above communities experienced in accessing mainstream mental health services. The service continued for over seven years and I worked with three generations of women aged from 16 to 70 years.

In 2007 I was successful in applying for the post of honorary counsellor at The Bridge Foundation (Bristol), providing time-limited therapy to individuals, as well as couples counselling. Concurrently in the paid role of family support worker, I facilitated support group sessions for women from the Somali community. The role focused specifically on providing therapeutic support to parents whose children were making the transition from Junior school to Secondary education. Furthermore, between 2011 - 2014, I was an independent therapist for Womankind (Bristol Women’s Therapy Centre) where I worked with The Refugee and Asylum Seekers Counselling Service. I saw numerous women for therapy who had been trafficked, some into forced marriage situations, and in addition interpreted/translated for clients in their native language(s).

My association as an ‘affiliate Therapist’ with Oasis - Talk Psychological Therapies (NHS) entailed a period of just under three years from 2015 - 2017, providing 1-1 CBT and counselling, using an integrative model (Humanistic and Psychodynamic) to a wide range of clients with complex needs and long-term mental health problems.

Currently, I am a training consultant for "FORWARD" the Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development. This role entails designing and delivering training and supervision to Community Health Advocates who work with women affected by issues which accompany FGM (Female Genital Mutilation). I was approached to undertake this role in 2012.

In addition to this, another organisation I provide therapeutic services to since July 2019 is TACT, The Adult and Child Trust. My role there is Consultant Therapist/Trainer in which, I lead and facilitate carer support sessions, as well as providing 1-1 therapeutic support to foster carers. Also, as an independent trainer, this role requires the delivery of training to staff and foster carers from my own areas of expertise.

During 2009 - 2010, I was a Research Associate for a project at the University of Bristol (School of Applied Community Health Studies), which, addressed concerns associated with the low up-take of students from marginalised groups, entitled ‘Working towards an ‘Enriching and Diverse learning community’. At a later date, I applied the outcome of this research, and the insights I achieved, to the PG Diploma/MSc in Counselling curriculum on which I co-taught as a teacher associate with the University of Bristol (School of Applied Community Health Studies) Centre for Personal and Professional Development.

For ten years, from 2005 - 2015 I taught at The Bath Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BCPC), on the Introductory and Foundation courses in Counselling. My teaching experience continued during the 5 years from 2008 - 2013 with an organisation called ‘Action on Addiction' - jointly teaching and facilitating the Ethics and Diversity Module for student counsellors studying addictions.

More recently, since June 2019 I have co-facilitated the ‘Belonging and Identity’ module at Metanoia in London on the Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes MSC course.

Many counsellors and researchers are all too aware that based on European models, contemporary counselling theories and research methodologies dominate the counselling and psychotherapy profession, however, these theoretical frameworks have little to say about working with people of colour.

Differences are endemic and yet not always tangible. Due to my own growing questions, I have frequently found myself wondering how they might be explored more creatively so that learning and development can unfold in healthy and positive ways. To this end, I have trained and become accredited as a race equality trainer in the context of mental health. I have a special interest in contributing to mainstream counselling training programmes, advocating for change, so that complex issues of race, culture and ethnicity can be incorporated into the existing curriculum sufficiently - an aspiration which is always close to my heart. I believe the way forward requires a commitment from training establishments to ensure these training gaps are addressed appropriately. In my opinion, this will enable students, particularly those from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities to feel that their experiences and differences are genuinely acknowledged and validated, and so encourage more representation within the therapeutic professions.

Of late, I have begun practising Yoga more regularly, valuing the benefits it brings. I have always been particularly open to the thinking that Yoga can be used as a clinical intervention, especially during those times in my life when I have felt overwhelmed or anxious. It has helped me enormously.

And further, I have always found dressmaking to be immensely therapeutic helpful in inducing a soothing calmness and relaxation. Coastal walking is also a great love which I indulge whenever I get the opportunity. Having lived in Bristol for most of my adult life – I have always enjoyed the beautiful landscape Bristol offers: privileged to take pleasure in its beautiful landscape.