I am a play therapist by training, and a writer. In my previous work, I supported children and families with difficult stories. For years I worked in schools with vulnerable families, children who were in care or adopted, and school staff trying to make sense of the most challenging situations. More recently, I have built up a body of work supporting people with chronic illness and disability; combining my creative therapy skills, adapted mindfulness practices, and knowledge of trauma and neuroscience, as well as my personal experience of living with a health condition and being a carer for my youngest child. I use my experience of creative therapy to help people find a ‘coherent narrative’ of their life.

I have lived most of my adult life with a chronic health condition, which has led me on a journey of discovery and knowledge about managing pain, using tools of mindfulness, embodiment and nervous system regulation. I am committed to radical self-care that starts with acceptance and being with what is present, and seeks to bring attention to the body and nervous system. In my work I strive for inclusivity and creating a culture where care for people’s needs is prioritised. I long for a world where people feel free to express their needs and where groups, organisations and places are created with accessibility and inclusion in the forefront.

I have trained in Mindful Photography Facilitation with Look Again / Ruth Davey and in Trauma-sensitive Mindfulness with David Treleaven. I am informed by the body of work around neuroscience, brain plasticity, trauma and mindfulness (Tara Brach, Rick Hanson, Sarah Peyton and others).

I love to find the connecting threads through life’s experiences and to map these into coherent narratives that help us understand where we have been, who we are now and where we are going. In my writing I explore questions of identity and belonging, health and illness, connection to people and place, and the interplay between past and present. I am fascinated by the role of creativity in healing. My writing has been published in various places, including the Earth Pathways Diaries and by Dialect writer’s network