Prof. Abhnash K. Bains is a UK-based social entrepreneur, therapist and philanthropist, best known as the founder and CEO of Ishkama Ltd and Ishkama Global Change (IGC) CIC – organizations dedicated to mental health, empowerment and community development  . She has over 50 years of experience spanning the UK civil service, nonprofit leadership and private enterprise . (By her own account, she became a widow and single mother at age 26 , an experience that later inspired her work in mental health.) Prof Bains holds diplomas in therapeutic counseling (1998–2000) and clinical hypnotherapy , and is a certified Reiki Master (certified 2000) . She is also a full member of the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis (since 2000) .

Education and Professional Training

Prof Bains’s qualifications combine vocational therapy and counselling credentials. She trained as an NVQ assessor (NVQ D32/33/34) and earned a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (psychodynamic) from 1998–2000, as well as a Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy from the London College of Clinical Hypnotherapy . In March 2000 she was certified as a Reiki Master by the International Reiki Healing Training Centre . Alongside these, she completed professional development in hypnosis and counseling, becoming a full member of the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis from November 2000  . (These credentials support her work as a therapist, counselor and wellbeing coach.)

Public Service and Community Roles

Before launching her own ventures, Bains spent two decades in the UK civil service (1980–2000). She worked at the Department of Work and Pensions (formerly the Manpower Services Commission/Employment Service) in various senior roles . As an Executive Officer in multiple job centers (e.g. West Ealing, Fulham) she managed staff and helped the unemployed, with a focus on ethnic minority communities  . Early in her career she highlighted employment barriers for minority job-seekers, and in 1986 helped establish the Hounslow Ethnic Language and Literacy Office (HELLO) – a local service providing language and literacy training to support employment for immigrants  . That same year she served as Vice-Chair of both the SAHIL Single Parent Group and the Asian Women’s Centre, reflecting her commitment to vulnerable women and families  .

Beyond her civil service work, Prof Bains has held numerous community and charity positions. She was a Governor of an infant school in Hanworth and a committee member of several local causes (Dyslexia support, youth services, and ethnic counseling projects) . She also sat on the Patient and Public Involvement Forum of the West London Mental Health Trust (2007–08) and was involved in women’s radio initiatives (2008) . In the Lions Clubs International service organization, Prof Bains rose to become District Governor of District 105A . (She is noted as the first Zone Chair in that district to earn a membership-growth medaland the zone chairperson medal and later received the organization’s highest honor, the Melvin Jones Fellowship .) Throughout this period she also volunteered with health and welfare charities (for cancer, diabetes, homelessness, and youth)  .

Entrepreneurship and Founding Ishkama

Leveraging her professional and personal experiences, Prof Bains founded several businesses and organizations. In the private sector she became Director and owner of KIA Beauty Salon Ltd (a UK beauty and wellness chain) and BHI Homes Ltd (an interior design/property company) . (she launched an innovative KIA Beauty salon inside an ASDA store, winning praise from business awards judges .) In parallel she established Ishkama Ltd, a social enterprise focused on “breaking the stigma” around mental illness through workshops and counseling  . Ishkama Ltd offers holistic therapies and support programs to empower individuals with mental health challenges.

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