We're delighted to welcome Dr Kayode Akinsulire to our team as our new Lead Psychologist.
Where did it all start?
"I’ve always been interested in Psychology and understanding how the human mind works and how it impacts the wellbeing of people; how the mind can impact the body, like mind over matter, as some say. Being able to put some level of understanding behind that is why I decided to go to University of Southampton for my bachelors, Portsmouth for my masters, and finished with my doctorate in Counselling and Psychology at City University of London.
All of this was a journey to grow my skills and understand more about the subject and to develop ways to help people who might be struggling with certain aspects of their lives. I’m really interested in physical health and how it’s impacted by someone’s mental health and vice versa.
I started my training in 2009, so now I’ve been in the industry for 14 years. During this time, I have experienced different sectors; some of which have been wellbeing, medical diagnosis, forensic units, and different roles in mental health generally."
Leading on Wellbeing in Sport
"I’m looking forward to getting even more experience and understanding, as well as developing better ways to support athletes. I’m looking forward to the fact that there’ll be easier accessibility for athletes to seek help and have support, without feeling the barriers stopping them from speaking about difficult aspects of their lives. I think having a space where they feel safe, protected, and like their privacy and confidentiality is kept, is a great thing and so I’m looking forward to being a part of this journey with UKIM. Athletes face performance stresses and anxiety, heavy criticisms, transitions with injuries or leaving a club, and much more, and so I’ll be able to help them find ways to cope with these things.
Everyone in some way can benefit from counselling and I think that my experience with different sectors, with different people, has shown me some interesting things about what can be helpful for a variety of people. So, being there as a Psychologist will be helpful to support athletes to understand how to manage the stresses and the difficulties and then they can excel in every aspect of their lives."
Fun Fact
"I enjoy Salsa dancing."
