SAS Celebration Week 2026: Celebrating the SAS Workforce (Dr Sreya Mariyam Salim)

As SAS Celebration Week draws to a close for 2026, we hear from Dr Sreya Mariyam Salim. She shares what she loves most about working as a SAS psychiatrist in Powys, capturing the dedication and enthusiasm that SAS psychiatrists bring to the workforce.

Some places you visit; others you bloom in. For me, Powys is the second kind. I work as an SAS doctor in the Community Mental Health Team at Ystradgynlais Community Hospital, and the first thing that struck me about Powys was its landscape- the rolling green hills, the woodlands, the waterfalls, and the way each season brings something entirely different, yet equally magical.

As an amateur artist, I even created a series of paintings inspired by the flowers I have seen here. However, once I began to settle in, it was the people who amazed me most. I have seen neighbours become lifelines and families gather around their loved ones. Working in mental health, I have found this sense of community particularly healing

Beyond its beauty, Powys has also given me something invaluable professionally. For an early-career psychiatrist, it offers a breadth of clinical exposure alongside the opportunity to work in a supportive and close-knit service. I have been able to develop my clinical confidence through community psychiatry, multidisciplinary working, assessments and managing a range of presentations, while still having the time and support to reflect, learn and ask questions.

The Health Board and its staff have been incredibly supportive, encouraging professional development and being generous with their time whenever I have needed guidance. This has allowed me to grow as a psychiatrist and a person.

From Powys, I have learned that belonging is not always something you have to earn; sometimes, it is something that is simply offered to you. I arrived as a newcomer and was welcomed into village life with a kindness I never expected. Daffodils are a symbol of Wales, and in many ways, being here has felt a little like that: rooted in a new place, surrounded by light and life, and given the space to grow. Powys has given me not only a place to work, but a place to learn, belong and bloom.

Dr Sreya Mariyam Salim
Specialty Doctor
Ystradgynlais Community Mental Health team
Powys Teaching Health Board