Most people will suffer from some form of mild to moderate mental health problem i.e depression or anxiety in their lives, but not many know where to seek help. Kamarjit Sukhnain is the Business Manager for Ealing IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). Ealing IAPT provides the London Borough of Ealing with a range of services for which there is a growing demand.
Background
Kamarjit Sukhnain was born in Singapore. Kam, as she is known, tells us exclusively; “My father was in the Special Forces and my childhood was in a secluded but multicultural environment.
At the age of 13 we emigrated. I spent several months in Delhi studying Hindi and Punjabi in a private school. During that period I felt isolated as my new environment was new and disorientating. I was not accustomed to the culture, way of life, rituals, food, language etc. I had to learn to overcome barriers to be accepted as part of that community. During my time in India I learnt to speak Hindi and Punjabi. I am grateful for the experience as I speak both languages fluently and learnt about different religions and rituals.”
Early influences
Kam Sukhnain remembers,
“My father influenced my life. In the UK both my parents worked on a factory floor. He was a typical Asian role model that saw Education as an opportunity for advancement. I studied law, then trained as a social work practice assessor and about five years ago did a diploma in Management and Finance. I have held several positions both in the Private and the Public sector. What continues to drive me is my current role at IAPT.”
Achieving through Victim Support
Kam joined Victim Support (VS), a voluntary sector, in 1994 to do some community work and to invest in people.
“I understood the issues affecting my community in Southall - primarily for female Asians.
During my employment at VS I developed a comprehensive and successful process of recovering compensation for victims of serious offences. I set up a support service for female victims of domestic violence and sexual offences in Southall and personally supported those victims of crime. I forged strong links with the police, religious institutions, midwives, community justice agencies, voluntary and statutory organisations. At Victim Support I identified a gap in the service as we could not provide specialist help for those requiring psychological support.
Any consideration of a referral to a specialist service for depression or behavioural therapy was considered a taboo and a stigma,” Kam reveals. “At Victim Support I was able to empathise with the women who struggled to adapt to the culture when they came to Britain.”
Current Work; Penrose Trust
Kam is currently the company secretary for Penrose Trust, a UK charity which makes grants to support Educational activities or research into medical, psychological and social causes and effects of violence and group conflict. “I support the Trust’s budgets ensuring the annual report and accounts are prepared and distributed. I was also a Trustee for Metanoia, a provider of counselling and psychotherapy training.
Asians here and in India on Mental Health
Kam feels that in India, mental health is perceived as taboo, a weakness, stigmatised.
“I am aware of relatives unable to access basic services for depression. There isn’t anything in countries like India the services we are able to offer in the UK. When I first started in my role some years ago we found it very difficult to engage with the Asian community. It’s taken years of promotional work to engage with the community. We now have leaflets and interpreters to support those from the ethnic community. We have considered innovative ways of challenging some of the stigma around this by doing radio shows, attending religious institutions and festivals. Also by paying attention to the phraseology and terminology when engaging with members from the minority group.”
Community need for IAPT
“IAPT provides a range of services for people with mild to moderate mental health problems such as low mood, worry, stress, panic and phobias. Most services will also provide a range of evidence based treatments such as stress Control Courses, Groups, Individual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Couples Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mental Health Advocacy and Counselling. Since its launch in 1997 IAPT services in England have seen a large amount of people which resulted in the government deciding to expand IAPT services to people with other long term conditions (like diabetes and COPD).
To access an IAPT service you can visit your GP or Self refer. (You can google your local IAPT Service).
Kam’s Ambition
“My ambition is to raise funds to co-ordinate joint working with therapists from the UK and professionals in India to start raising the profile of mental health and begin to understand some of the issues surrounding it.
