‘I had a vision that I wanted to bring justice and listen to the subjugated, seldom heard stories’

Tell me about your roots in psychology. 

I grew up in the densely populated, highly deprived area of Bradford and witnessed the effects of deprivation, austerity, poverty, discrimination and racism on the lives of family and close friends. My family migrated from Kashmir and my grandparents survived occupation, colonisation, forced displacement and war. I grew up hearing my grandmother talk about the partition and her stories of loss… she spoke fondly of a place she could call 'home'. I also witnessed the Pennine disturbances and the devastating impact hate crime, racialised tension and unrest can have on the psychological safety of communities, families and children. 

Despite these experiences I also witnessed hope, solidarity, love and an enduring resilience in my community. I noticed the power of collective solidarity, social activism and the role a community plays in the wellbeing of children. It definitely played a huge part in my upbringing… I believe it really does take a village to raise a child. My experiences shaped my values around justice, compassion, authenticity and the importance of community. 

As a teenager I had a vision that I wanted to make a difference, bring justice and listen to the subjugated, seldom heard stories – I hadn't realised that I would do this through Psychology. It was members of my family and community who encouraged me to consider Clinical Psychology, in their words 'we need more of you to help more of us'. And so that's how it all began. 

I remember attending one of your talks some years ago on your experiences as a racially minoritised psychologist. Can you tell me about your experience of navigating psychology as a South Asian Muslim woman?

It's been challenging and complex. It's well documented that racially minoritised individuals experience many barriers and difficulties in the profession, and then there is the multiple jeopardy that comes with occupying a range of marginalised identities. It's also well documented that racially minoritised individuals experience barriers at all stages of their journey into clinical psychology; application, training, post qualification and even in leadership positions. There are many hurdles I have had to jump, stereotypes I've had to challenge and walls I have had to break.

However, I feel very privileged with the experiences my training has granted me, the families and children I have worked with and the impact I've been able to make. I've also met many other inspirational racially minoritised women and men in the profession, all of whom have enabled, supported and empowered me and without whom I wouldn't be where I am now. I also recognise the privilege and the responsibility that comes with being a Psychologist and how we need to take the power we have very seriously. My own experiences have meant that I am very aware of power, how it is enacted, represented, exercised and exploited.  

You've worked in several different children and young people's services as a clinical psychologist. Tell me about these experiences.

I've worked with children, young people and families in a range of specialist settings during very difficult and challenging times. I started my career working with Bradford Rape Crisis, a feminist organisation supporting women and girls following sexual violence and abuse. I owe a lot to this organisation and the women I worked with, for shaping the Psychologist and person I am today. The service focused on intersectional feminism, empowerment, solidarity and justice, all of which aligned with my own values. I took that into all my subsequent roles and services. 

Following this I was involved in setting up, delivering and leading services for children and young people subject to sexual exploitation, organised crime, gender-based violence, forced criminality, trafficking and children and young people displaying harmful sexual behaviour. These were very innovative and creative services, developing new ways of working with children and young people presenting with high risk, high harm and high vulnerability. I had the opportunity to develop, shape and implement new therapeutic and service models, all informed by ideas around empowerment, social equity and trauma. We were using ideas from community psychology, such as working with grassroots communities to meet women and children who had been trafficked to the UK for the sex industry or who had fled gender-based violence, including political violence. Offering this support in community settings and meeting basic needs such as food, money and safety were as important as offering a space to talk about their experiences. 

And following this work you were awarded the British Psychological Society Early Career Award for outstanding contributions to Clinical Psychology?

Yes. I felt very humbled to be recognised, but it was the contributions of the children, young people, families and communities I worked with that made this possible. 

More recently I've worked in several locked and secure settings for children and young people, including the Children and Young People's Secure Estate and Inpatient CAMHS. These are very challenging and restrictive environments working with children presenting with high levels of complexity and acuity. I feel very passionately about the importance of diverse representation and inclusive leadership in locked and secure settings. The evidence suggests that children and young people from racially minoritised backgrounds are disproportionately detained and restrained in these settings. It feels vitally important to have leaders in these settings who bring a human rights-based perspective and values focused on inclusivity and justice. 

Can you tell us more about your work with organised crime, exploitation and serious youth violence? How have you as a Psychologist been able to influence policy and practice? 

Serious youth violence is a growing issue in the UK and we are yet to fully understand and find ways of working with this. Traditional models and interventions may not be suitable for children and families subject to exploitation and serious youth violence… we often have to work flexibly and creatively. There is a real opportunity for psychologists to influence service delivery and design, and I've always been keen to think about the value of developing innovative services with children and families. 

I've also worked alongside several national and governmental organisations to influence policy and practice in relation to child exploitation and serious youth violence. In 2019 I joined a roundtable discussion at the House of Parliament around the role of parents as safeguarding partners, which was led by SPACE, a organisation raising awareness of child exploitation. Following this, in 2020 I worked closely with the National Working Group for Child Exploitation to launch a Practice and Knowledge Briefing for all organisations (social care, health care, education, policing etc) called 'Making Words Matter – Attending to language when working with children subject to or at risk of Exploitation'. This policy document was developed due to the dehumanising language that can often be used to refer to children subject to exploitation and the impact of this language on the care of children. It was designed to help those involved in safeguarding children subject to or at risk of exploitation, including teachers, police and health workers. It highlighted the importance of attending to the language we use when safeguarding and responding to children, young people and families dealing with the complex issues of exploitation.

What feelings does this work evoke in you?

This is very complex, challenging but necessary work, and I feel it's very important to remain connected to your feelings in order to do this work. You are working with complex trauma in children and families as well as organisational and community trauma. It therefore feels very important to be attuned and aware of your own emotions, in order to help others attune and connect to theirs. 

What led you to also train as a Family Therapist?

I have always been naturally drawn to thinking systemically, thinking about families and communities. It feels like working with systems – whether that is a family, a couple or a network – has great potential to make a bigger difference, to make an impact to more lives. This is what led me to train as a Family Therapist too. Working with the network also enables us to move beyond the individual and to explore and acknowledge the impact of systemic difficulties on the wellbeing of children and young people. I strongly feel that systemic and family therapy has a lot of work to do around radically and critically scrutinising its models and ways of working to ensure they're fit for purpose. In addition there is also so much potential to work at the community and policy level, to truly affect sustainable change. 

Tell me about your work on Anti-Racism and Decolonization at Newcastle University's Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Programme?

I joined Newcastle University's Clinical Psychology Programme in 2021 as part of the Health Education England Funding to widen access to Clinical Psychology for marginalised individuals, as their Anti-Racism Lead. I subsequently moved into the Academic Director role. There was a strong commitment and focus on anti-racism and decolonisation, and I worked alongside our trainees to develop their Anti-Racism Strategy and review their teaching and curriculum. We had some fantastic trainees who were brave and courageous, who joined us on this journey in interrogating themselves, the programme and the systems. 

We eventually wrote a paper titled 'Unsettling the Masters House', which was a critical account and reflections on developing a clinical psychology Anti-Racism Strategy as well as navigating racism, power and relational safety. Anti-racist praxis is complex and challenging – it brings up a range of different emotions and systems have a way of protecting themselves. However, some of what we have been able to achieve on the programme has only been possible because of the dedication of our trainees, staff and our facilitators. We recognise that psychologists – whether training or qualified who support our work on anti-racism – give more than just their time. They give parts of themselves, they give their emotions and their energy. This work isn't easy, and building trusting and safe relationships with our contributors is vitally important. I think there is so much we still need to do on the programme and we will ensure we keep doing our part to bring change to the profession. We are hoping to publish and disseminate our Clinical Psychology Anti-Racism Strategy, which hopefully will be a way to ensure we are accountable. 

What do you think needs to change in the profession?

I would say we are currently at a very crucial stage in Clinical Psychology. There are a number of unsettling socio-political developments and shifting agendas. However, at the same time there are an increasing number of vulnerable populations in need of support, so now more than ever representation, diversity and inclusive leadership matters. We need more psychologists passionate about human rights, justice and culturally sensitive practice. We need more psychologists from a range of diverse backgrounds to meet the needs of the communities we are serving. And whilst representation is important, we also have to ensure the profession is inclusive and welcoming. Therefore, having Leaders who are inclusive, compassionate and culturally sensitive can enable change to happen. There is still so much work to do in the profession and we all need to play our part in it. 

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

I have always found that rather than a piece of work or research it has always been people who have either changed or shaped my practice. I have been influenced and inspired by the work of the late Professor Suman Fernando: his work around racism, racial discourse and the mental health system was one of the first books I read. In addition, the work of Paolo Friere and Frantz Fanon has also been influential and shaped my practice. 

Are there any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with others from minoritised backgrounds who may be interested in pursuing psychology?

I would say, know your values and be yourself! I think for racially minoritised individuals the system forces them to change or adapt to fit into the profession and lose their sense of identity, but this upholds the institutional and systemic racism. Its also important to find your allies, your supporters and enablers, and to hold on to them. It can be challenging and isolating navigating clinical psychology, so having a strong, supportive network around you is crucial. There are definitely spaces that are welcoming and supportive of individuals from minoritised backgrounds, and I know I am always happy for people to reach out to me regardless of their stage in the journey.