Tell us who you are / a little about yourself / what you do?

I am a psychotherapist and the Director and founder of BAATN (The Black, African and Asian therapy Network). I trained as an integrative arts psychotherapist and I have developed a special interest in working with complex trauma and non-verbal approaches. I am a Buddhist with the Triratna community.

Can you tell us more about BAATN? What led you to creating BAATN?

I created BAATN because of the isolation that black, brown and people of colour practitioners were experiencing and to bring them together for support and inspiration. BAATN has a remit of supporting black, brown and people of colour to be proactive with their mental health and to support them into being counsellors and psychotherapists within the wider profession.

What do you hope for the future of BAATN?

My hope for the future is to create training courses for therapists that fully incorporates the impact on mental health of social and systemic oppression, in particular the impact of the social construct of race.

Tell us about your book? What was your thought process behind it? What did you set up to achieve?

I wanted to lay the ground for those who wanted to develop more fruitful conversations around race in their personal and professional lives. The book explores how the distress of inter-generational trauma, chattel slavery and colonialism live on not just in our minds but also in our bodies. As well as helping us to develop an understanding of the forces that made the race construct necessary through exploring the history and development of race, the book focuses specifically on the non-verbal communication of race, both as a means of social control and as an essential part of navigating oppressive patterns.

What does Black History mean to you?

Race trauma moves us towards identification of negative race narratives and an internal policing of racial boundaries. Black history reminds us that we are so much more than this and reminds us of how we got here and our greatness as a people.

Have you any other projects in the pipeline?

I used to do podcasts many years ago, which were great vehicles for engaging with positive life affirming narratives. I would love to get this go in again.

What drives and motivates you?

Both my parents had a sense of service within them and it's that sense of service that motivates me.