I’ve been working for almost 20 years now with folk seeking sanctuary on our shores.
I first trained with ‘Freedom from Torture’, where I acted as a counsellor to severely traumatised individuals. I subsequently engaged in a similar role with several other agencies in the sector. For the past 14 years I’ve been closely associated with the City of Sanctuary Network: initially as co-chair of the Manchester group, then as a trustee on its national board and lead on HR. I became its Regional Coordinator for all initiatives in the NW of England, chaired its national Health & Mental Wellbeing Stream and trained refugees to handle the media and politicians effectively.
My professional background is in psychiatry & occupational medicine with a special interest in the development of “organisational health” in the public, private & voluntary sectors.
I’ve been co-opted onto several advisory panels to guide senior officers in the Home Office, the Border Force & the NHS on better meeting the specific mental health needs of those seeking sanctuary in Britain.
My devotion to the City of Hull began back in the 1970s when I was employed as Medical Officer in the University’s Student Health Service and, much later, I was very pleased to become heavily involved with Open Doors, when Bashir was manager. Prior to COVID, I ran regular training workshops for its staff & volunteers, as well as befriending, mentoring & counselling the many clients referred to me.
I’ve been a supporter of the excellent work at Welcome House from its very early days. Bashir asked me to create an in-house training programme for its own staff & volunteers on a range of relevant topics. The sessions started in January and aim to enhance the existing good practice, to forge teamwork and to build organisational strength.
Over the years I’ve been an enthusiastic advocate, trustee and chair of several charities in the UK and India in the fields of mental & organisational health, the arts & criminal justice.