“It’s okay to not be okay.” – Ansa Ahmed
I have experience of both 1-2-1 therapeutic work and also in group therapeutic work as I facilitate many different kinds of therapeutic groups/workshops.
I am fluent in many languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Pahari, Mirpuri, Hindi.
Qualifications and training
- BACP- (British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists) – COP certificate
- Counselling Therapeutic skills Diploma Level 4 in Person Centred approach method (PCA)
- Counselling Therapeutic listening skills Certificates Level 2 + 3 in Person Centred approach (PCA)
- Counselling in Islamic Psychology Approach Certificate (IHSAAN)
- TA – (Transactional analysis counselling method ) certificate CPD workshops
I work with many charities nationally as an counsellor registered with them and these include:
- Mind-Box in London
- Healthwise in Leeds
- HOPE Bereavement Support in Leeds – I am founder of this community support group
- Gasped in Wakefield
- St Vincents in Leeds
- Bradford Bereavement service
- IHSAAN in Bradford
- Inspirited Minds in London
- Over the past decade I had also worked as part of the spiritual team in St Gemma’s Hospice, worked as a volunteer with the West Yorkshire Police helping with community cohesion and safety and did many other volunteer roles which include being a diversity officer and neighbourhood treasurer. All roles involved working with people, keeping humanity at heart, and helping others by being there to listen to them when they felt most alone and vulnerable.
My own story
I went from being told I could not conceive naturally to then over the past 10 years losing eight pregnancies to date. When I gave birth to two of those children I felt as if my world was falling apart around me. There was no support available that I felt offered or accessible to me. There is nothing in this world that anyone could have said or done to fill the emptiness I felt but having someone just to listen to my pain-felt words and where possible to answer my questions and anxieties about future attempts, somehow helped in healing me a little.
When pregnant again, each time I found that ‘normal’ antenatal classes could not cater for my ‘serious’ questions to address my worries for my unborn baby. Therefore my healing journey has led me to create and set up HOPE to help facilitate a Bereavement Support Group which will help, I hope, other families and pregnant again mothers to find that peace and emotional support which is so necessary after a previous traumatic loss. I now continue to offer other support groups for general mental health and emotional wellbeing support.
My healing journey has taught me to understand and accept the weakness it is to be human and to entrust and be open to the strength that is in the soul and spirit of being a human also. This life is just a test and there is always only HOPE for this life and the hereafter.