Throughout my career, I have chosen to work within specialist and complex areas of mental health. I have supported people experiencing severe and enduring mental illness, emotional distress, psychosocial crises and major disruptions to their health, relationships and everyday lives.

What has always drawn me to working in mental health is the opportunity to understand the person behind the symptoms, diagnosis or situation. I have seen how people can be reduced to labels or viewed only through the difficulties they are experiencing. My approach is to remain curious about the person’s history, relationships, coping patterns, strengths and wider circumstances.

Some of the most meaningful parts of my career have involved supporting people to regain confidence, stability and hope after periods of significant difficulty. These experiences have strengthened my belief that people are more likely to make meaningful changes when they feel genuinely heard, respected and understood.

My current work in Liaison Psychiatry involves supporting people with the psychological, emotional and practical effects of physical illness and hospital admission. This includes complex assessment and formulation, risk management, safeguarding, multidisciplinary working and recovery-focused intervention.

Training as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor allowed me to develop the relational and therapeutic aspects of my practice further. It deepened my understanding of emotional processing, identity, relationships, repeated patterns and the role of the therapeutic relationship in creating change.

My social work and counselling backgrounds now inform each other. Together, they allow me to consider both a person’s internal emotional world and the wider social, cultural and practical circumstances affecting their life.

Sitara was created from my belief that good counselling and psychosocial support should be financially accessible. I therefore offer both pathways at an affordable rate of £35 per 50-minute session. This rate is available to all clients. There are no income requirements, eligibility criteria or financial assessments.

The word Sitara means star in Urdu. For me, it represents guidance, direction, hope and movement through difficult periods of life. It also reflects my South Asian background and my wish to create a service in which culture, identity and lived experience can be discussed openly.

As someone from a British South Asian background, I welcome people from all cultural, ethnic and minority backgrounds. Culture may shape how we understand emotional distress, family relationships, identity, responsibility, mental health and help-seeking. I will not make assumptions about what culture means to you, but I recognise that it may be an important part of understanding your experiences.

Sitara was also developed from the recognition that emotional wellbeing, recovery, functioning and everyday life cannot always be separated.

For some people, counselling offers the space they need to explore emotions, experiences and relationships. Others may need a more structured and practical intervention that considers routines, relationships, confidence, social circumstances and recovery goals alongside emotional wellbeing.

Sitara therefore offers two distinct pathways: psychotherapeutic counselling and structured psychosocial recovery intervention. Both are grounded in the belief that support should be collaborative, respectful and responsive to the individual rather than forcing everyone into the same model.

My 10 years of working in psychiatry have given me experience in supporting people with a wide range of mental health needs.

While my counselling specialist interests continue to develop, I have a particular interest in personality disorder, psychosis, women’s mental health and OCD, including where this overlaps with neurodivergence, as well as supporting people who suspect they are neurodivergent and find everyday life challenging.

Areas I work with include:

• Anxiety and overthinking

• Depression and low mood

• Stress and feeling overwhelmed

• Low self-esteem and confidence

• Relationship difficulties and recurring patterns

• Difficulties managing emotions

• Work-related stress and burnout

• Trauma and its impact

• Family difficulties and estrangement

• Bereavement, grief and loss

• Life changes and uncertainty

• People-pleasing and difficulties setting boundaries

• Perfectionism and self-criticism

• Loneliness and feeling disconnected

• Identity, belonging and cultural expectations

• Women’s mental health

• Neurodivergence and its impact on everyday life

• Exploring suspected or late-identified neurodivergence

• ADHD-related difficulties

• Autism-related difficulties

• OCD and intrusive thoughts

• Personality disorder and complex emotional needs

• Psychosis and recovery

• Living with long-term mental health difficulties

• Carer burnout

• Compassion fatigue

My approach is warm, grounded and collaborative. I will not assume that I understand your experiences better than you do, or that one therapeutic approach will work for everyone.

My overall approach is pluralistic and person-centred. This means that we will work together to identify what you hope to gain from our sessions and the type of support that may be most helpful to you. The balance between emotional exploration and practical intervention will depend on the pathway you choose and your individual needs.

Depending on your needs, our work may include:

• Exploring emotions and difficult experiences

• Recognising repeated patterns in relationships or coping

• Understanding how earlier experiences may affect you in the present

• Making sense of mental health diagnoses or experiences of services

• Exploring identity, culture, belonging and family expectations

• Developing greater self-awareness and self-compassion

• Using psychoeducation or practical strategies where helpful

• Identifying realistic and meaningful changes

You will not be expected to present your experiences neatly or know exactly what you need before getting in touch. We can begin by considering what is currently happening, what you would like to understand or change and whether I am the right practitioner to support you.

I aim to offer a space that feels emotionally safe without being distant or overly clinical. I will listen with compassion, but I will also be honest, curious and willing to gently challenge patterns when this may help you move forward.

Our work can be brief or longer term, depending on the pathway and your individual needs. We will review our work together at appropriate points to ensure that it continues to feel relevant, helpful and purposeful.

• BSc Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience, 2010-2013, University of Leicester.

• MA Social Work, 2018-2020, University of Manchester.

• King’s Trust Level 5 Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling Practice, 2024-2026, Chrysalis Courses.

• Social Work England (SWE): Registered Social Worker - SW131863

• National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS): Accredited Registrant - MNCPS (Acc.), NCS23-04116