Who Are We
Sikh your Mind is a Sikh charity founded in 2015 (registered formally as a charity in 2019) to offer professional support to the Sikh and Punjabi community. We have been supporting the community via our telephone helpline, live chat, virtual women’s group, student spaces as well as in person workshops and presentations. We have also undertaken and published research
We hope to continue collaborating with other organizations who are equally committed to supporting those struggling with mental health issues. Our work is entirely dependent on donations, successful grant applications and fundraising activities
Our Vision
Every individual receives culturally sensitive and qualified psychological support for their mental health needs.
Our Mission
To address the inequality of access to mental health services, improve well-being and offer culturally sensitive and regulated psychological support for the Sikh and Panjabi Community
Our Values
Compassion
Offering a non-judgmental approach to help you care for yourself and/or others
Strength
Knowledge is power Increasing your awareness and education of mental health difficulties can help you make informed decisions about your well-being.
Equality
Everyone deserves equal access to support and to be treated with respect
Trust
You can live a meaningful life with mental health difficulties and can recover with the right support
Togetherness
Working together as a community
Our Team
Who runs Sikh Your Mind?
At the heart of Sikh Your Mind lies a unique ethos: we are a faceless entity, not defined by any one individual but by the collective spirit of our mission.
We believe that the strength of our cause resonates through the actions and dedication of every person involved, rather than resting on the shoulders of a single figurehead.
This approach ensures that our focus remains committed on the goals we aim to achieve and the communities we strive to uplift.
Our decision to operate without a central figure is intentional and rooted in our core values.
It allows us to maintain transparency, foster inclusivity, and encourage a sense of ownership and responsibility among all our supporters and volunteers.
By embracing a shared leadership model, we empower every voice within our organization, ensuring that every contribution, big or small, is valued and has an impact.
We are united by our shared vision, and it is this unity that drives us forward.
Our collective identity ensures that the spotlight shines on the cause we champion and the positive change we strive to create in the world.
Our amazing and inspiring volunteers
Harmeet Kaur Bharya
Team Member
Satwant Kaur
Trustee
Maninderjit Singh Brar
Team Member
Kuljit Kaur Bhamrah
Team Member
Kuljinder Kaur
Team Member
Kiran Kaur
Team Member
Kirandeep Kaur
Team Member
Katerina Kaur
Team Member
Harjit Kaur Dhillon
Trustee
Hardeep Kaur Tung
Team Member
Gurvinder Kaur
Team Member
Gobinderjit Kaur
Trustee
Sukie Bilkhu
Volunteer
We currently have 15 volunteers, 2 male and 13 female aged between 25 and 45 from all over the UK. Without our volunteers we would not exist. Since 2015 we have had incredible DBS checked volunteers who have offered their time for free. Their roles have included supporting the telephone helpline and live chat, facilitating workshops and presentations, fundraising, supporting group sessions and undertaking research .
Our Support
- In 2020/21 with funding from The National Lottery we offered 60 individuals up to 20 sessions of therapy.
- During 2020/21 over 40 women attended the virtual women’s group, with ages ranging from
- 20 to 70 coming from all over the UK including Leeds, Ireland, Birmingham, Glasgow, Southall, Essex as well as America, Canada and India.
- In 2020/21 41% of support requests are due to mood difficulties including anxiety and depression and 13% due to relationship difficulties.
- In 2020/21 69% of callers to the telephone line were female.
- In 2020/21 61% of callers to the telephone line were calling due to relationship and interpersonal difficulties
As well as qualified Clinical Psychologists, the team are also supported by a qualified mental health solicitor, life coach, counsellors, CBT therapists, well-being practitioners and other volunteers with their own lived experience of mental health issues.
Services are delivered online and face to face across the UK. We have a significant social media following which
also provides additional support to the community.
Bilingual telephone helpline and live chat on the Sikh your Mind website. This contact may be a first point of intervention and often includes guidance, support and signposting. At times, it may be appropriate to share coping strategies and advice as well as information about longer term paid services available in the community often provided by professionals outside of Sikh your Mind.
- Bilingual virtual women’s support group which occurs fortnightly to improve well-being. This is a social action group and peer support is key to help empower women and offer a source of hope whilst increasing confidence and reducing loneliness.
- Ongoing offer of mental health workshops and training events for the community. To provide culturally sensitive psychological knowledge and skills around a range of mental health difficulties and presentations in the community.
- Ongoing collaboration with other organizations to reduce health inequalities in the community.
- Commitment to research and disseminating our learning with communities outside of ours
Sikh Your Mind is a mental health charity launched in 2015 that aims to provide high-quality therapeutic support. Our therapists include registered counsellors and/or counsellors in training, BABCP registered CBT therapists as well as HCPC registered Clinical Psychologists. More details of our team can be found OUR TEAM page. We focus on providing faith and culturally sensitive therapy for all of our clients irrespective of their backgrounds. We are open to people of all faiths.Once you get in touch your request will be screened and a member of the team will be in touch with you.
Our Referral Criteria:
- We can see clients who present with common mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety and related problems. We can see people deemed suitable for a number of difficulties for a faith sensitive approach.
- Clients referred must be over the age of 18.
- Clients should be involved in the decision-making process and must consent to counselling/therapy.
Our Fees:
For more information about our fees please contact us via
operationsmanager@sikhyourmind.com
In the past we have been able to offer free sessions, with the support of The National Lottery however due to the funding ending fees are applicable for private sessions. We hope the following FAQs will answer any questions or queries which you may have. Should there be anything that hasn’t been mentioned in this section, please contact us here:
Accessing the right support at the right time is often challenging, especially when it comes to culturally sensitive care. Research shows that finding such tailored support can be even more difficult.
A Sikh organization plays a crucial role in mental health by offering guidance rooted in Sikh values and traditions, ensuring that care is not only compassionate but also deeply resonant with the community’s unique needs.
We want to stress that mental illnesses are just as ‘normal’ as physical ones, and support is available within the community when needed.
Yes, while our primary focus is on providing psychological support to the Sikh and Panjabi community (addressing a significant gap we identified nearly 10 years ago) we are committed to helping anyone in need, regardless of faith.
Over the years, we have supported individuals from various religious backgrounds as well as those with no faith, ensuring that everyone receives the care and understanding they deserve.
Our Impact
‘Having an organization that not only know how to deal with mental illness but can also understand the context of our culture and background is definitely worth recommending’. ‘They went the extra mile to help me explain my condition to my husband who only speaks Punjabi’
‘They went the extra mile to help me explain my condition to my husband who only speaks Punjabi’
‘I can’t tell you how much it helps hearing a voice from your own community that gets it and can contribute so much’
‘I was speaking to Sikh your Mind call handler, and she really helped me. She was so easy to open up to and I feel a lot better. I love how easy it is to talk to someone without feeling judged’
‘The workshop was really well received, and the facilitator had a great in-depth knowledge of the topic and the audience related really well to the information provided’
‘Sikh your Mind team member had a very calming soothing voice and I felt comfortable enough to share what was bottled up inside me and it was such a big relief for me as I have never asked for help. It helped that she was from the same cultural background and gender, and this has been a barrier for me to follow through with seeking help elsewhere'
‘I would definitely recommend it to family and friends’
‘I’ve already been recommending based on the professionalism and speed of response’
‘I’ve had therapy before, but I think we need more specialized therapy for Sikhs’
