We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kamalyn Kaur. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kamalyn below.

Kamalyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

One of the biggest trends I am seeing in the mental health industry is that people have a different attitude and mindset when it comes to therapy. It is no longer only seen as a “treatment” for when things go wrong. Instead, many people are going to therapy as way of dealing with unresolved traumas so they can heal from the past; experience personal growth; and also achieve the success they want.

I have noticed that the taboo or shame that was once attached to seeing a therapist is not as strong. In fact, many of my therapy clients openly talk to their family and friends about their therapy sessions; what they have learnt as a result of them; how therapy has impacted their life; the changes they have experienced; and above all, they even recommend therapy to others.

It has been brilliant to see this shift, openness, and transparency within clients.

The other trend is that therapy is now readily available online since COVID. There was a time where doing a therapy session face to face was the only option and any other format was seen as being less than or inadequate.

COVID forced us into accepting and embracing online therapy and what a wonderful thing it has been. Therapy is now more accessible than it has ever been. The fact that you can do a session during lunchtime, before you start work, or after work without having to travel anywhere has been a game changer for many of my clients. They can do therapy from the comfort of their own home, without having to worry about rearranging their schedules.

Social media platforms have also had a big contributing factors to these trends. They have allowed people to share their experiences of mental health; for experts to share their expertise; and for organisations to share awareness around mental health. Overall leading to more and more people feeling comfortable talking about their mental health and asking for help when needed.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Psychotherapist and Anxiety expert with over 10 years experience helping women overcome anxiety. The approach I use is direct, simple, and solution focused. I provide anxiety management strategies that can be implemented straight away until the client is ready to do deeper rooted work such as childhood events or trauma.

Over the years, I have developed my own unique system called “360 Anxiety Reset” to help individuals overcome anxiety using a step by step process. A process which once they learn, they can use in any area of their life.

I now use this system to help female business owners overcome anxiety and prevent burnout in their business so they have more TIME and ENERGY to focus on doing the things they love!

My journey into therapy was a complete fluke! Not something I had planned for at all. In 2008, I had left my job and was sitting at a coffee shop when I found a leaflet on the table next to me advertising a counselling course. At that point in time, jobless and with absolutely nothing to do, I thought it would be a great course to do for personal development and to sharpen my people skills.

It was an evening course and much to my surprise, I really enjoyed it despite the late nights. Once this finished, I then started pondering on whether I could make a career doing this and decided to train up as a Psychotherapist. Not once during my training period did I think I would be running my own business as a therapist – I genuinely thought I would acquire the skills but never be able to put them to use. I was wrong. I have been practising as a Psychotherapist since 2012 and have loved every single part of the journey.

Over the years I have appeared regularly on BBC Radio Scotland as a mental health expert. My comments have been featured in well known publications such as Happiful Magazine; OK! Magazine; Stylist; Marie Claire; Elle; Readers Digest; Grazia; The Independent; The Telegraph; and Mail Online, to name a few. I have also appeared on TV (GB News and Talk TV) as a mental health expert.

One of the things that I have been told by many clients is that I make the therapy sessions easy for them. My clients look forward to their sessions and despite doing deep inner work, they always feel safe and secure during the sessions. This is one of the things that I pride myself in. Making the decision to go to therapy is not an easy one for many people and it can at times leave them feeling vulnerable, exposed, or a bit fragile – all natural emotions to experience.

However, in my role as a therapist, I can confidently say that all my clients are taken care of so that they always have a safe, non judgemental space to talk. It is this psychological safety and support that gets them to their end goal a lot quicker!!!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before COVID all my sessions were face to face. I had a private practise where clients would physically travel to attend their therapy sessions. However during COVID I had to switch everything to online which entailed changes to the way I worked and how I managed the sessions.

I had to ensure that all sessions still had the privacy and confidentiality that was required so had to write up terms and conditions for clients outlining where and how to carry out sessions remotely. The key priority was to ensure they were able to talk freely without family members overhearing.

Clients were instructed on how to position their devices so that I could still see their facial expressions and read their body language during the calls. I was trying to keep things as close to the layout of a face to face session as possible.

I also had to learn to focus more on the client’s subtle cues such as eyebrows; twitches in face; hands; fidgeting; or any other cues that would give away how they were feeling. All of these are easier to read when someone is in front of you but on camera you have to pay more attention.

There was also protocol in place for sessions should there be any technical glitches in the wifi or devices.

All calls and messages were encrypted to protect confidentiality. My notes and paperwork were now being stored at home so I had to get locked filing cabinets to store and file all the paperwork within.

A lot of change but became very easily second nature. The face of therapy has been forever changed!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Definitely giving every single client 100% attention, dedication, and commitment. Making them feel like they are the only person that matters during their therapy sessions. They get my absolute undivided attention. I remember every single detail they have ever shared with me, allowing me to reference back names and key people in their life.

This memory recall has enabled me to spot patterns and triggers within clients a lot quicker. Before they even start explaining to me, I am able to recall their previous patterns and usually predict what they are about to say.

In addition to this, I am very solution focused. If I spot an issue or a pattern in the clients behaviour, I am not one to sit back for 5 therapy sessions and wait for client to figure things out. If something is obvious then I will just tell you what I have noticed and what I feel the reason is for that particular behaviour. This allows the client and I to have a collaborative working relationship.

I am punctual, reliable, and in my 12 years of therapy have never missed a client appointment.

All of these things have made me a very present, mindful, and goal orientated therapist. This is what I am known for and it is what leads to my clients recommending me to their family and friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kamalynkaur.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kamalynkaurtherapist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/anxietyandburnout