Our Story
Dedicated to improving mental health within the scottish South Asian communities
Scottish Asian Counselling Services (SACS) was founded in September 2023, after recognising a clear and ongoing gap in culturally responsive mental health support for South Asian and other minority communities across Scotland.
Many South Asian individuals and families struggle in silence, not because they don’t want help but because reaching out can feel risky, intimidating, or unsafe. Stigma, fear of being judged, language barriers and past experiences of feeling misunderstood often stop people from seeking support. For some, previous contact with mental health services has felt culturally disconnected or unrelatable, making it harder to open up or stay engaged.
At SACS, we believe no one should have to leave their culture, faith, or identity at the door to receive therapy. Our work is grounded in the idea that effective support must be both clinically sound and culturally aware. When therapy reflects someone’s lived experience, values and community context, it feels safer, more relevant and more impactful.
Our Journey
In our first year, we focused on building strong foundations, developing safe and ethical service pathways, and establishing SACS as a trusted community-based organisation.
As demand grew, we expanded our team to include 12 qualified therapists and 6 student therapists, increasing our capacity to offer accessible counselling while also supporting the development of future culturally competent practitioners. Trainees are supported through structured placements and supervision, helping to grow a workforce that is both clinically skilled and culturally aware.
Partnership working has been central to our impact. We have collaborated with Health and Social Care Partnerships, Caledonian University, education providers such as Kip McGrath and statutory bodies including Police Scotland and the Scottish Parliament. These partnerships have helped widen access to culturally responsive mental health support and strengthen referral pathways into care.
Alongside one-to-one counselling for adults, children and young people, we developed a strong programme of community outreach and workshops. This has included CBT-informed anxiety workshops delivered to over 160 children and young people within Sikh and Muslim community settings, offering practical tools to manage worry, build resilience and support emotional wellbeing in environments that feel familiar and safe.
As we move forward, our focus remains on strengthening leadership capacity, improving service coordination, expanding outreach work and continuing to grow trainee and supervision pathways, contributing to a stronger, more inclusive future for culturally competent therapy in Scotland.
