South Asian Social Workers

Join us at this FREE event! South Asian identities are rarely discussed in depth in mainstream literature, education, and professional environments. While spaces are becoming advocates of “diversity” and “inclusion” how often do you see South Asian voices?

Lets create that together 🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏾‍♂️👳🏽‍♀️🧕🏽👩🏻

This is a space for all South Asians and the diaspora to safely share about their experiences in the North American context as a student, professional and/or community member in the “caring” professions. We acknowledge the differences and similarities we share and recognize that there are tensions between our communities. However, this is a space to start to form a collective in light of the North American context

South Asian -Ancestry from India, Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal

The Diaspora - first, second, third generation immigrants from South Asian countries. It includes the Indo-Carribean communities from Trinidad, Guyana as well as Fiji that have been dispersed through effects of colonial imperialism

Examples of care professions: social workers, nurses, social service workers, youth workers, mental health advocates, occupational therapists, therapists, teaching, policing, writers and creative influencers...

*This is not an exhaustive list, comment below to add on and leave your thoughts about this event*!

Special thanks to Herleen from for organizing this free space 💕

Link to RSVP will be up soon! 🙏🏽 @ Toronto, Ontario

🧡 My name is Ram and I am Student of Theatre/Media & Film Studies, in Germany. I also work in Make-Up and since December I work as Diversity-Advisor for variety of German NGOs.

🧡 I write articles do spoken word performances, with the intentions to make older generations of (Tamil) diaspora parents aware of our problems regarding cultural identities, language barriers, racism, feminism, homophobia and most importantly mental health awareness. With my articles, Im trying to reduce stigmas towards these topics. As Eelam Tamils we have come through a lot of destabilizing experiences, due to war and genocide. I want older generations, that are very much traumatized to be emotionally aware towards younger generations and not to project trauma on them. In my community I see the need that first of accepting that mental health issues exist.

🧡 My articles are published in Tamil all over Germany in a free circulation called Vetrimani.

🧡 People can follow me on my IG or my Twitter .

🌸 Navila is a Bangladeshi-American forensic social worker, freelance educator & trainer, and consultant working with diverse clients. Clients include government agency staff, public defenders, non profit agencies and community members/leaders. She provides program coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building services around advocacy, social media, digital storytelling, and gender based violence & mental health education

🌸 She co-founded “The Cathartist”, a web-based platform for victims and survivors of sexual violence, and activists to showcase their creative works as a tool of coping and healing with trauma

🌸 Navila is also featured as a survivor in the award winning documentary, Breaking Silence, where she addresses the nuances and experiences of being a survivor of sexual violence in a Muslim and South Asian community, and the journey towards healing

🌸 Follow to learn more!

💙 Rubina K Dhani, M.A. LMFT - EMDR Trained & Provider

💙 Practice Name: Mind Peace Therapy

💙 My name is Rubina K. Dhani and I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in the state of California. I was born in Indiana, and have lived in South Korea, San Diego, Singapore and Los Angeles at different stages of my life. I am blessed to call myself a multicultural and global citizen

💙 I am a proud Sikh, Punjabi-American woman. I love beaches, sports, world travel, outdoor activities, and arts & crafts, and I have always had a soft heart for kids. When I was 18 years old, I taught English to orphan children for a summer in Chennai, India, and I have years of experience as a youth basketball coach (ages 5-12). This has transitioned well into my professional career, where I have spent most of my time helping children, teens, and their families

💙 My experience and knowledge as a bilingual and multicultural therapist allow me to work with a diverse array of clients. My mission is to help you work through the difficulties of life that cause anxiety and depression, and the issues involved with assimilating different cultures. I chose this path because I have a compassionate heart, and I truly enjoy working with people of culturally diverse backgrounds, and helping them lead successful and fulfilling lives. Specifically, I hope my work and dedication will help break down the stigma surrounding mental health issues in South Asian communities.

🍀 Sumayyah Taufique, MSW - Therapist

🍀 The first time I went to therapy was as a student in undergrad. I went to the counseling center because something we had discussed in my psych class caused me to have what felt like a panic attack. I walked out from that experience never wanting to go to a therapist again, even though my dream was to become one.
Since then, I have found myself an amazing therapist, got myself an MSW and became a therapist myself. As a therapist, I'm constantly working making sure that therapy is accessible, meaningful and as culturally aware/competent as possible

🍀 I specifically market myself to the Muslim community because the stigma against seeking help is so high. Despite more people talking about mental health, actually seeking help for it is still seen as something only "crazy" people do

🍀 Therapy isn't just for people struggling from a mental illness. Therapy is an investment in your own growth and wellbeing and I encourage everyone to go to therapy at some point in their life. Therapy helps us unpack our baggage, understand our stories, give meaning to our experiences and provides us with tools to better manage our emotions. All of us need that.

☘️ Follow to connect

💜 Shangaari Kanesalinkam BSW 2019 - Social Work Student

💜 My parents migrated to Canada following the heightened violence towards Tamil individuals in Sri Lanka. I was raised listening to the stories of survival from back home and experienced the hardships of settling in a new country despite being a second generation Canadian. The Tamil community has been exposed to various forms of physical, emotional and sexual violence and it is evident the trauma now takes form as inter generational trauma. I became very attached to my Tamil identity and had shaped how I interpret social work. During high school I struggled to cope with my anxiety, reaching several breaking points. It was difficult to see a counsellor because I felt that they would make negative assumptions about me and my Tamil identity rather than viewing it as an individual problem

💜 I received the McMaster Undergraduate Student Research Award and my project was titled “ understanding barriers in accessing mental health services by the Sri Lankan Tamil Diasporic Community within the GTA”. The purpose was to explore the barriers that take form as stigmas and stereotypes and how the hinder services for the Youth cohort of the population

💜 This project meant a lot for me as it reflect my personal journey but also I hope that it helps encourage positive dialogue regarding mental health and illness in the Tamil Community. There are very few south Asian social workers, and very little literature regarding working alongside the south Asian community. Often it is lumped all together, and this ignores the unique values each Community within the south Asian umbrella holds.

💜 To learn more follow to connect 🙌🏼

🔸 Henna Khawja B.S.W., M.S.W., R.S.W. - Registered Social Worker

🔸 Henna (she/her) is a first-generation Pakistani-Canadian Muslim woman born and raised in Toronto (GTA). At a young age, through both personal lived experience and community observation, she witnessed a devastating absence of support for South Asian (Desi) women and children experiencing domestic and gender based violence

🔸 She chose to pursue her calling through Social Work, studying at both Ryerson and the University of Toronto (UofT), where she earned a Collaborative Masters Degree in South Asian Studies. Over the years, though her work has taken her abroad (Pakistan, Zanzibar, Chicago, Dallas, Edmonton), she has continued to serve her respective South Asian and/or Muslim communities

🔸Currently, Henna is the Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Coordinator for the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). She is passionate about highlighting the intersections of race, anti-oppression/anti-racism and gender based violence. She is available for trainings and private practice in the new year

🔸 Follow her on linkedin to connect and learn more!

🧡 Lakhan Bali, DSW - MSW Student 2018-2020

🧡Being from the South Asian community (Hindu/Punjabi), I can see the reluctance to seek mental health services. Mental health is usually not considered at the same level of physical health. Phrases such as “weak-minded”, “but your life is going so well”, and “be strong” are associated with mental health, especially for men who are often expected to suck their feelings up

🧡 I want to spread awareness that mental health is HEALTH. We experience pain with mental health challenges like physical health challenges. Further, just like physical health, social exclusion, income, proper working conditions, education, etc influence our mental health. As a developmental services worker, and future Social Worker (MSW), I aim to support people with mental health challenges, and raise awareness that having a mental challenge does not mean you’re “weak” or anything. It is a part of our health that we can manage, and live our best lives.

🧡 Follow if you want to get in touch!

🌸 Huma Saeedi, M.Sc., M.A., RP -Registered Psychotherapist

🌸 She has a private practice focused primarily on trauma treatment in the GTA. She was born in Canada to Pakistani parents, so has a special interest in working with others from SA backgrounds. She also is the outreach manager at Naseeha, a mental health organization focused on primarily the Muslim community, with the focus of her role on increasing awareness and education on mental health and illness in marginalized communities

🌸She is on Instagram to help increase awareness around mental illness, particularly the impact of trauma, in the Muslim and broader communities. Huma hopes by having more SA therapists in the field more individuals from SA backgrounds will be comfortable accessing services

🌸 Follow to learn more about her work!

🌸 Huma Saeedi, M.Sc., M.A., RP -Registered Psychotherapist

🌸 She has a private practice focused primarily on trauma treatment in the GTA. She was born in Canada to Pakistani parents, so has a special interest in working with others from SA backgrounds. She also is the outreach manager at Naseeha, a mental health organization focused on primarily the Muslim community, with the focus of her role on increasing awareness and education on mental health and illness in marginalized communities

🌸She is on Instagram to help increase awareness around mental illness, particularly the impact of trauma, in the Muslim and broader communities. Huma hopes by having more SA therapists in the field more individuals from SA backgrounds will be comfortable accessing services

🌸 Follow to learn more about her work!

🦄 Zameena Jaffer, MCP, CCC - Therapist

🦄 Practice name: Soutien Counselling Support

🦄 In the context of most collectivistic cultures, problems are often understood as 'internal' to people. Zameena works from an approach that does not locate problems within individuals but, instead, as products of culture and history. During therapy, she works with clients to create a safe space where problems can be understood as socially constructed and created over time. As an immigrant from East Africa, Zameena is culturally-centric in her work, sensitive to issues of diversity and particularly interested in acculturation stress. As a therapist, she is empathic, passionate, and a social justice advocate

🦄Follow to learn more! .

🌸 Nikita Sehgal MCP, CCC, RP(Q) - Therapist

🌸 Practice name: Soutien Counselling Support

🌸 Nikita is a therapist at Soutien. She is a first generation immigrant from India, and identifies as Indo-Canadian. Her personal experience as an immigrant compliments her knowledge and understanding of life transitions, and acculturation issues newcomers and their children are facing today. She has extensive experience in working with immigrant families and is especially interested in the intersectionality of South Asian vs. Canadian cultural norms, and their impact on our mental well-being

Follow to learn more!