Driven by her passion to understand how our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are interlinked, Kholood completed a BSc in Psychology with Professional development at Brunel University London. 

During this time, Kholood undertook two 6-month placements in a special educational needs school and a forensic psychiatric hospital. Whilst completing her placements, she witnessed how childhood events impacted people’s mental health and the importance of early psychological intervention. She then went on to study an MSc in Behaviour Analysis and Therapy at the University of South Wales to further understand the role environmental factors played in human behaviour.

Following this, Kholood pursued a career working with children and young people. She studied a professional course in Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Wellbeing Practice taught at Kings College London. Alongside the course, Kholood spent 1.5 years working within the National Health Service (NHS) England as a Wellbeing Practitioner in a Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service and Mental Health Support Team. Her work focused on the importance of psychoeducation and Guided Self Help, which is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles. Guided Self Help (GSH) aims to teach the client techniques to help manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and phobias. This helps empower the client and enables them to become an expert in their own mental health. Additionally, she facilitated the running of groups for parents and young people to help increase their understanding of their mental health. She also completed 1:1 GSH work with young people or parents who needed support for their anxiety, low mood, or challenging behaviour.