Becoming a therapist inspiring a community

With the rise in mental health problems amongst young people, it’s vital that more people train as therapists in evidence-based treatments. We’d like to introduce the next recipient of the Caroline Gilbey Scholarship. Caroline Gilbey was a great friend of the Charlie Waller Trust as well as a personal friend of the Wallers. She worked tirelessly on the Trust’s London Fundraising Committee and, in a very fitting gesture after her death, her friends and family organised a cycle ride in her memory. They raised enough money to fund two scholarships at the Charlie Waller Institute within the University of Reading, training therapists in high intensity psychological treatments. The 2021 recipient of the scholarship is Komel Jalil, who will be studying for the High Intensity Postgraduate Diploma. She says: “I want to be a therapist because I have always had a pull towards mental health, and the other reason is because I have come across a lot of people from south Asian backgrounds suffering with mental health but not being able to do anything about it. “I realised that this was due to barriers in culture when receiving treatment, such as language barriers. As a south Asian myself, I recognised that there were lots of challenges which inspired me to want to do something about it.” Komel impressed at interview with her commitment to supporting others with mental health difficulties, particularly within the Muslim community. Her placement during the course is with Sakoon, a leading provider of counselling services that specifically includes an Islamic perspective. She says: “I am so excited to be working with so many people at my placement who will be from south Asian backgrounds, to really play a part in educating a community where the concept of mental health generally doesn’t exist, to break taboos, to offer support, to help rebuild the community from a psychological perspective and to try to inspire other south Asians to enter the field as therapists and be a part of the evolution.” In the second year of the Caroline Gilbey Scholarship, everyone at the Trust is delighted that Komel will be fulfilling her ambition and taking on a vital role as a therapist. “I cannot say how grateful I am for this opportunity,” she explains. “It has been almost a miracle for me. It has made my journey to being a therapist a lot smoother and stress-free. I hope to become successful in this journey and will use the opportunity to work even harder.”

I am so excited to be working with so many people at my placement who will be from south Asian backgrounds.