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.

My experience includes working with psychosis, bipolar disorder, complex emotional needs, personality disorder diagnoses, neurodivergence, trauma, safeguarding concerns, adjustment difficulties and the interaction between physical and mental health.

What has always drawn me to this work 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.

I have a particular interest in working with people who have complex or longstanding emotional and mental health needs. However, you do not need to have a diagnosis, be in crisis or consider your difficulties complex to work with me. I welcome anyone who feels that they would benefit from a thoughtful and collaborative space to understand themselves more fully.

Sitara was created from my belief that good counselling and psychosocial support should not be limited to those who can comfortably afford standard private fees.

A central part of Sitara’s purpose is to provide accessible, low-cost counselling and psychosocial support for people who may otherwise struggle to afford private services. This includes people on lower incomes, people receiving means-tested benefits, and students, trainees or key workers within health, mental health, social care and related frontline care services where financial circumstances make standard private fees difficult to sustain. I have a particular interest in supporting people working within health, social care and mental health services who may be experiencing work-related stress, burnout or compassion fatigue.

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 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

I am comfortable discussing experiences that can sometimes feel difficult to speak about, including intense or rapidly changing emotions, unusual beliefs, experiences of psychosis, shame, trauma, relationship difficulties, and uncertainty about a diagnosis or possible neurodivergence.

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 (awaiting certificate), 2024-2026, Chrysalis Courses.

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

• National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS): Student Member - NCS23-04116