Begum Maitra's interest in how culture influences the making of meaning began with her psychiatric training in India, and developed over her career as a psychiatrist in inner city London. The limitations of psychiatry prompted her training as a psychotherapist (Jungian), and the cultural bias of both these trainings led to a growing interest in how anthropology contributes to the field of psychology. Since leaving the NHS in 2010 Begum has continued this focus on culture in several areas of work - namely, in the assessment of children and families particularly when children are believed to be at risk, in individual therapy, and through workshops, lectures and conferences for voluntary and statutory organisations. Begum's publications also address these areas; she co-edited Critical Voices in Child and Adolescent Mental Health with Sami Timimi in 2006, and developed a training DVD (2010) Does Culture Matter? Families and Mental Illness.