One on One with psychotherapist and deputy course lead Neelam Zahid

Can you tell me a bit about your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in psychotherapy?

I have always been interested in people and curious about what makes them tick. That was why I decided to do a psychology undergraduate degree initially. I then decided to do my counselling and psychotherapy training because I wanted to continue my journey in understanding people, and support them to facilitate change in their lives. I suppose I really wanted to be part of other people's healing which was also a way of healing myself.

Tell me about your journey to qualifying as a psychotherapist

My journey was quite a difficult one as I didn't meet many other trainees from marginalised backgrounds – at the time, being an Asian woman felt quite isolating and lonely. I felt hugely inspired by what I was learning and it was a shame that I didn't feel I could really explore what it meant to be a person of colour on that journey. So, my training was bittersweet – I learnt a huge amount and felt enthused by the subject, but was not able to go to deeper depths of my own process.

What does your role as a psychotherapist entail?

I do several different roles as a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. I have a private practice, where I see clients and supervisees. I see clients who are mainly from marginalised groups who normally come with complex trauma. I am also trained in the Rewind technique, which is a fast phobia and trauma treatment. This is really helpful with clients who suffer from PTSD or PTSD-like symptoms. I tend to integrate the rewind technique into my work with clients which has proved to be very helpful. Most of my clients are long term clients but some can be short term, or some only come for the rewind technique.

I also teach on a psychotherapy training programme and an undergraduate psychology course. 

Okay, and what does your roles as a deputy course lead and visiting lecturer involve?

Both roles are quite different. As deputy course leader at the minster centre, I teach on the Foundation Year of an Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy training. I teach theory and skills to one group, and for another group, I am their Experiential Training Group facilitator.

With my theory and skills group, I teach a range of different approaches such as Psychodynamic, Person-centred, Body psychotherapy, Transpersonal, CBT and many more throughout the year, and then teach skills practice and observe students, providing them with feedback on how they can further enhance and develop their skills.

For the experiential training group, I facilitate a group process, to support students to understand their position in groups, their part in relationships to deepen their awareness of themselves and their intersubjective process.

As a visiting lecturer, I teach on the introduction to counselling skills course which is for anyone who is interested in either starting training, or for those who use counselling and/or listening skills in their jobs. I teach on the counselling modules on the psychology and counselling undergraduate degree and focus on skills practice.

You're also a mindfulness coach

Yes, I am! I find this really helpful to integrate into my practice as it helps so much with stress and anxiety. Loads of my clients struggle with anxiety, and it is a really useful way to support them to breathe, take stock and connect with the present moment. It also helps me to stay connected to the present and manage my own levels of stress. It's a really good tool!

You recently co-edited a book 'Therapists Challenging Racism and Oppression: The unheard voices'

Yes, I did! It was an amazing, exhausting, triggering and inspiring endeavour, all at the same time. After numerous experiences of racism within my own psychotherapy journey, I wanted to speak up about them and encourage others to do the same.

I don't think we as psychotherapists are encouraged to talk about our own challenging experiences publicly, and so this was an opportunity to have our voices heard. I believe only after we speak up, can we really challenge structural racism and challenge the colonisation of our psychotherapy profession.

You've also authored a number of book chapters; can you tell me about them?

The other book chapters that I have written are on race and culture, and in line with my passion – working with intersectionality within psychotherapy. 

One of my chapters, called 'Lifting the White Veil of Therapy', in Black Identities + White Therapies: Race, respect and diversity, 2021 (eds. Divine Charura & Colin Lago), focused on my identity as a Pakistani therapist and my culture's connection with mental health. 

My other chapter is called 'The effects of a Pakistani Heritage', in The Handbook of Transcultural Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2011 (ed. Colin Lago). This focuses more on how I practice, challenging some Eurocentric ideas and practices that our training still employs. 

Can you share a piece of work or research that has really changed or shaped your practice?

There are too many to list! Some of the writers that I have found inspiring have written on culture, race and intersectionality. These are Isha MacKenzie-Mavinga, Robin DiAngelo, Dahal Fahad, Susan Cousins, Menakem, Eddo-Lodge, Hirsh, Kaur…I could go on! They have written about issues of race and intersectionality in a non-apologetic way, challenging structural racism and the Eurocentric educational system as well as mainstream psychotherapy training.

What advice would you give to our readers who may be interested in pursuing a career in psychotherapy?

Start working on yourself first! We can only help our clients if we are prepared to go deep into ourselves and help ourselves. We can't sit with our client's darkness if we're not prepared to sit with our own. Be curious about your process - question, reflect and challenge. The training requires resilience, vulnerability and being able to face our fears – if they can do this, they'll be a wonderful therapist!

Fauzia Khan is a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society. She currently works as an Assistant Psychologist within the NHS, whilst completing her Doctorate in Counselling Psychology.

On Twitter: Fauzia = @itsFauziaKhan / Neelam = @zahid_neelam