An Interview with Dr. Kamaljit Sidhu
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Piece of Mind (British Columbia Psychological Association, Unpublished)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2016/03/07
- What is the importance of Psychology Month to you?
So, it’s been a wonderful opportunity to do several things. First, help the public understand the role of psychology and mental health in their lives. Second, increase public awareness that psychologists are well-trained in evidence-based interventions for mental health disorders. Third, increase public knowledge that psychological interventions can be very effective for mental disorders. Fourth, discuss misconceptions or psychosocial barriers that may exist to accessing psychological interventions such as issues around lack of knowledge about how to access a psychologist or issues around confidentiality or perceptions that may be judged by a psychologist. Fifth, increase awareness about the process of accessing psychological intervention and that psychologists are governed by their ethical code of conduct with regard to confidentiality and exceptions. That’s it.
- Why did you get involved with it?
I saw it as an opportunity to actually give back to the community. I am one of those people who has been very involved with regard to local as well as, I guess, provincial psychological organizations. I used to be a school counsellor, in the past, and was very involved in the School Counsellor’s Association of BC, when we had the BCTF. And I was also involved with some race relations stuff with the BCTF in the past as well. And I thought it was a really good opportunity now that my children are a little bit older to start focusing on helping my profession again, and sharing some of the knowledge that I have with people in the community. I know that a lot of people can’t access psychological interventions. And when it comes to anxiety, panic, and anger, which are really basic emotions, it’s my perception that if the general population had basic understandings of those emotions that they would be better able to at least start looking within themselves to see how they can manage those, and I really believe that it would lead to a better community for all of us. Because, hopefully, it would mean that they would have better understanding and compassion for those adults that are expressing those emotions as well.
- With respect to Anxiety, Panic & Anger: A Beginner’s Guide, what was the inspiration for it?
Two things, I think, one is, again, because I think people don’t get enough opportunities to see a psychologist, whether it is because of funding or lack of funding. Or whether they just don’t know it if a psychologist is available, or if there is some misconception in their minds about psychology. So, my hope was that I could take some knowledge that I’ve developed with regard to the interventions that I do in my daily practice as a psychologist. I focus quite a bit on trauma, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, as well as pain, chronic pain, and adjustment to these issues. And so, I thought that if I could take the knowledge that I typically disseminate to my clients, usually in the first session, and just present it as a presentation for an hour and a half, and then open it up to questions that the participants may have, that, at least, it would have some knowledge as a beginning point on how to start addressing some of their issues.
The presentation that I did, I actually did it in English and Punjabi. Those are the two languages that I speak fluently. In terms of the Punjabi presentation, what I have found a lot of times is that when clients get referred to a psychologist and I get a call from them saying that their GP has referred them or they are seeking interventions, I had found that either hey didn’t have the funding because e they were working in low-paying jobs and couldn’t afford a psychologist’s rate or had some misconceptions. So, those were the two things that I tried to address in the presentation with them.
I also actually had my colleague Dr. Bali K. Shi help with the two presentations as well, and that was really helpful. I think that’s it.
- What is the importance or relevance of the topic of the presentation?
So, in terms of the topic and the presentation, people that attended the two presentations. One in English and one in Punjabi. All the ones that gave us feedback verbally – I have not see the written feedback – the verbal feedback was that they really appreciated understanding the basic concepts around those emotions, and they really appreciated the insight that they had around psychologists and what psychologists do, and how they can access a psychologist through the BCPA referral service as well.
- Any last words?
I think my colleagues in the BCPA should all consider volunteering in the future. It was a steamroller kind of opportunity. That I, initially, decided in November that I was going to volunteer, and I didn’t realize it would lead to a lot of media interviews on the radio as well as in person on TV. So, it was actually a really great learning experience about how the public does see psychology, and it was a real great opportunity to be able to disseminate information that would probably all would know really well with regard to the practice that we do in psychology, and our day-to-day practice.
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