SACS - Scottish Asian Counselling Services

14/10/2026

ADHD Awareness Month 💛

This month matters. It's a chance to highlight the extra barriers faced by those of us who are or might be neurodivergent.

More knowledge means better understanding. Better understanding means better outcomes, and one step closer to the help and support people need.

In our communities, those barriers are real. White British children are diagnosed with ADHD at over 4 times the rate of South Asian children. That doesn't mean our children have less ADHD. It means too many are being missed, or labelled lazy, careless or "too much" instead of understood.

If any of this feels familiar, you don't have to work it out alone.
If you'd like to speak to someone, email us at [email protected]

08/10/2026

SACS attended the Corra Racial Equity Fund Capacity Building Event in Edinburgh.

Connecting with other organisations and strengthening our learning around governance, evaluation and future planning.

The day provided valuable learning and reflection to support SACS as we continue to grow and strengthen our services for the communities we serve.

06/10/2026

Dyslexia is still too often thought of as a childhood thing. A school thing. Something people grow out of, or learn to hide well enough that it stops mattering.

It does not stop mattering.

For dyslexic adults in the workplace, the daily reality can be exhausting in ways that are rarely visible to colleagues or managers. Filling in job applications that feel like obstacle courses. Processing dense written instructions under time pressure. Sending emails and then rereading them with a knot of anxiety wondering what errors slipped through. Sitting in meetings where information is shared at a pace that makes note-taking feel impossible. Watching others progress and wondering whether the barriers you face every day are ones other people simply do not have.

For racialised dyslexic people, those barriers compound. When you already face assumptions about your competence because of your ethnicity, a processing difference that affects how you produce written work can feel like am******on for those assumptions. Asking for adjustments can feel risky. Being misunderstood can feel too familiar.

And yet dyslexic people bring extraordinary things to their workplaces. Creative problem-solving. Big-picture thinking. The ability to hold complexity and find unexpected connections. These are genuine strengths, and they are routinely undermined by systems and environments that were designed without dyslexic people in mind.

Reasonable adjustments exist for a reason. Access to Work exists for a reason. Employers have legal responsibilities under the Equality Act. But knowing your rights and feeling safe enough to ask for what you need are two very different things.

At SEMA, we understand what it means to navigate workplaces that were not built for you. Our work with racialised neurodivergent people across Scotland includes people who are dyslexic, dyspraxic, Autistic, ADHD, and many who hold all of these identities at once. We see you.

Find out more about our work at 👉 https://sema.scot/

If our work means something to you, please consider supporting us 👉 https://sema.scot/support-us/

05/10/2026

🗣 COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate SCQF Level 8

📅 Monday 12th October 2026
⏰ 6pm – 9pm
📍 210 Glasgow Road, Rutherglen, Glasgow, G73 1SA

Whether you're looking to develop your personal skills, support others, or explore a future in counselling, this could be your next step. 💛

📖 View the Prospectus & Apply:
👉 https://simplebooklet.com/actcoscaprospectus2026

📧 Request an application form:
[email protected]

✨ Spaces available — get in touch to find out more!

05/10/2026

02/10/2026

✨ A proud moment for SACS! ✨

Last night, Scottish Asian Counselling Services was incredibly proud to attend The Herald Scottish Impact Awards 2026 as a finalist for the Community Impact Award – Small/Medium Organisation.

We may not have taken home the award, but being shortlisted alongside organisations making such a positive difference across Scotland was a real achievement for our small charity. 💛

For us, this recognition reflects the work happening every day — supporting our communities, breaking down barriers to mental health support, and creating spaces where culture, identity and lived experience are understood.

A special thank you to Rupa Mooker for your continued encouragement, support and for helping put SACS on the map. We also want to recognise everything you do to champion and support so many other organisations. There is so much work that happens quietly behind the scenes that people don’t always see — so well done, and thank you for all that you do. ❤️

A huge congratulations to the winners and all of this year’s finalists. 👏

And to our team, trustees, trainees, partners, funders and, most importantly, the communities who place their trust in us — this recognition belongs to all of you.

We left feeling proud of how far SACS has come and excited about where we’re going next. 💫

28/09/2026

🌟 A proud moment for SACS 🌟

A huge congratulations to our very own Asma Khan and Suriya Ashrad, who were both finalists at the Scottish Muslim Awards. 🏆

Reaching the finalist stage amongst so many incredible people is an achievement in itself — and a real win for SACS. We are incredibly proud to see their dedication and contribution to our communities recognised.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners — a wonderful celebration of the amazing work happening across our communities. ❤️

So proud of you both, Asma & Suriya! 💚

Asma Khan Arshad

28/09/2026

𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁

Good afternoon,

My name is Meera Morjaria and I am currently in my third year of training for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at King’s College London.

I am in the process of recruiting participants for my research project exploring the diagnostic experiences of South Asian females who obtained an adult Autism diagnosis from a UK based clinician. I would really appreciate it if you could kindly share the information below for anyone who you think may be interested in participating or with your community, team or network if appropriate.

I am looking for South Asian females who are based in the UK who received an Autism diagnosis from a UK based service or clinician when they were 18 years or older to take part in an online interview to better understand their diagnostic experiences.

The study aims to better understand the cultural and gender intersectionality when looking at Autism diagnostic processes and to hopefully improve the cultural awareness and understanding of the impact of this intersectionality.

If you know of anyone who may be eligible or interested, please do send on the following link to them: https://qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_9Fy8YA0EDkL2ayi

I have attached the recruitment poster and information sheet to this email which you are welcome to circulate.

As a thank you participants will receive an Amazon Gift Card :)
Thank you very much for your help!

Best wishes,
Meera Morjaria

25/09/2026

A wonderful turnout at the Macmillan Coffee Morning at Glasgow Gurdwara 💚☕️

Scottish Asian Counselling Services (SACS) were delighted to have a stall at this important community event, raising awareness of why counselling and looking after our mental health matters.

A huge well done to Parmjit Purewal for organising such a meaningful event and bringing so many people together for a fantastic cause. It was lovely to see such a great turnout and such strong community spirit. 💚

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the SACS stall for a chat and to learn more about the support we provide. If you would like to understand more about SACS or are considering seeking support, please feel welcome to get in touch.