Five Minutes With... A Principal Forensic Psychologist

Dr Kimberly Sham Ku, Principal Forensic Psychologist is the latest feature in our popular segment, Five Minutes With.

In the below interview, Kimberly shares more about her role and what it is like working with men that have a range of mental health difficulties at our Tamarind Centre.

You can learn more about Kimberly and our Tamarind Centre at the Trust below.

Hi Kimberly, please could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Team BSMHFT?

"I was born and raised in the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. I went on to do my studies in Barbados and then moved to the UK. I am a proud West Indian through and through and this certainly influences the way I approach my work, as well as my wider professional interests.

“In terms of work, I am a Principal Forensic Psychologist based at the Tamarind Centre, a medium secure forensic hospital for men. I have worked in the Trust and at Tamarind for just over six years. We work with a range of mental health difficulties and risk presentations. The majority of our men have had contact with the criminal justice system, so there’s not only the stigma of having a mental health problem but also a forensic history.”

What it is like to work in a medium secure setting??

"Working in secure services can be a mixed bag of emotions. We have the privilege of hearing people’s stories and work with them to develop an understanding of what may have happened to them and what may have led to where they’re at now. I never take this part of my work for granted.

“We have the chance to build safe and trusting relationships that some men may never have experienced in their lives. We work with people who have had some of the most marginalised and oppressive life experiences. Where systems have failed them and where there has been a lack of access to resources and opportunities that can be painful and angering. We also work with men who have committed very serious offences and it can be challenging to hear the level of harm caused.”

Has there ever been a stand-out moment in your career that has made you pause and reflect???

"Before starting with the Trust, I worked in Scottish prisons. That was probably one of my major career defining moments, leading me to return to BSMHFT. It was an isolating experience being different, a foreign national, a person of colour and having a qualification people were not familiar with.

“It was hard personally and professionally but transformative. I think this cemented my passion for the work that I do and especially, my interest in working with racially minoritised groups. My values around social justice is important to me and it has really helped working in an environment and on projects where this has been nurtured and where there has been safety to just be me.”

What kinds of interventions do you offer at Tamarind to support a patient’s rehabilitation??

"At the Tamarind, more broadly, we have input from a wide range of professions, nurses, doctors,?occupational therapists, physical therapists,?speech and language therapists?and social workers - all of us working?together?to support patients’ recovery and management of their risk.?In terms of the Psychology team, we are made up of our fantastic assistant psychologists, we have trainees, a specialist psychological practitioner, practitioner psychologists and our lead psychologist.

"Our day-to-day work can be pretty varied. We have the more structured aspects like completing risk and psychological assessments, helping people to make sense of their difficulties and offending behaviour through psychological formulations and delivering therapy. Working in forensic services can be emotionally heavy and we’re often vicariously exposed to high levels of trauma. As such, another crucial part of our role is providing support to our?teams?to think about the impact of this work on them, their wellbeing, their relationships with patients and colleagues.

"More generally, our goal is also to help people within the system, think more psychologically. Be that within teams or how we work with patients.?The interventions we deliver are evidence based for the population and include cognitive behavioural therapy, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, dialectical behaviour therapy, narrative therapy, family interventions, schema therapy and specialist therapies that also develop the evidence base.?

“One of the things I am proud of in the psychology department is the openness to creativity, boldness and innovation, which inherently recognises the importance of responding to the nuanced needs of the population we work with. For example, alongside my Multidisciplinary colleagues, we have been running the Elders Project, a project to support African-Caribbean men transitioning from secure services back into the community. The work has involved delivering Black-culture based psychosocial interventions and has been a pilot at our site. This is an aspect of my role I enjoy and has enabled us to build relationships with community organisations and bring their expertise into forensic services. There are also the challenging parts of this work that involves thinking about institutional racism in our context and how Black men are disproportionately affected. This work aligns with the other service development and research projects across race and ethnicity that we have undertaken at the Tamarind. For example, a recent study on racial trauma in forensic services and a pilot group intervention with staff and service users on mental health and healing across cultures.”

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your job?

“I’d be a millionaire by now if I collected money for the number of times people hear I’m a psychologist, followed by, “so you’re psychoanalysing me?” I’m not and I definitely do not have a superpower to read anyone’s mind- this would make life very intriguing!”

Why did you decide to pursue a career in mental health specifically???

"My interest in forensic psychology actually stemmed from a serious violent assault on a child, perpetrated by two older peers in Trinidad. It was horrifying. I was especially curious to understand what these young boys had witnessed or experienced in their lives to carry out such a gruesome attack.?

“The mental health system is not very well developed in the Caribbean and as people, we have a lot of pride. We do not share our problems publicly and mental health is not something we?openly?acknowledge. This contributes to our resilience as a community - we work hard and we keep it moving. The downside to this is that people may only be seen when they become very unwell, at which point, the police may become involved. As such, when I came to the UK, I was fascinated by the scope of the field and the level and type of support that people can receive.”

What do you do to improve your mental health and wellbeing??

“I go to the gym. It’s amazing how my journey has evolved from being purely about aesthetics to getting stronger, challenging myself and improving my mental wellbeing. I’m not the greatest sleeper either and I realise how much better I sleep when I train. Music is also at the top of my list. It’s Carnival season now in Trinidad and Tobago and music is at the centre of Carnival or what we refer to as, 'the greatest show on earth' (Trinis will know this term)! I love how they both bring people together, irrespective of race, class and culture barriers.”

Past, present or future, what three people would you most want to sit down for a meal with?

“I can’t think of people specifically at the moment, but I love interesting conversations. I’m always drawn to the stories and work of people who are bold and courageous and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo, whilst also maintaining their humility. People who stand on their integrity.”

Tell us something that people might not know about you

“I can be introverted. No one believes this. I can be very gregarious at work and I think this is essential to the type of work I do. However, I value my space and quiet time and can really keep myself well entertained alone.”

Describe yourself in three words

"I'd describe myself as thoughtful, rebellious and determined."