Hello there! I’m Charlotte, but most people call me Charlie or Charl, I’m a huge geek, and my dream has always been to work with children therapeutically and creatively to aid their mental health and wellbeing.

I’ve always felt my purpose was to help others since a young age having experienced anxiety and depression throughout my childhood and adult life, and being around family members and friends who have also had mental health difficulties, I wanted people I came into contact with to know they are valued and they matter. I’ve been working with children for over 12 years through a variety of educational and healthcare roles, as a teaching assistant in SEN schools and an assistant school nurse, then studying Paediatric Nursing at the University of Birmingham.

I’m hugely passionate about every person feeling empowered through person-centred care, and by working with children with physical and learning disabilities, I was able to utilise my creativity to problem solve how can this barrier be removed for that child so that they too can engage and lead a fulfilling and whole life. It was through providing a safe, caring and judgment free space that I could see their engagement and self esteem increase massively and it was incredibly rewarding. I greatly felt I wanted to work more creatively with children to aid their holistic wellbeing, and after completing a Level 2 in Counselling Skills I began studying Psychology and Counselling with Open University, with the intent to gain a Masters in Arts Psychotherapy.

Gaming has always been a great passion of mine ever since getting my first console PS1 for my birthday in the early 2000’s and playing Rugrats (even though I could only ever play the first hour because my parents forgot to buy me a memory card :D) I’ve adored gaming. Growing up as an only child until I was 10 mean that gaming had always been my own little passion and hobby, where I could explore worlds and build characters, and have these shared experiences with friends in school. Little did I know that from the age of 10 I would acquire not 1 but 2 siblings, and suddenly my gaming time was divided up into ‘go’s’ and turn tacking :D! 

It wasn’t until I got a little bit older and my younger brother and sister started sitting next to me watching what I played and asking so many questions that I realised it was another avenue for us to connect and spend time together which we equally adored, and still do now! I’m lucky to have had younger siblings introducing me to a wealth of games such as Skylanders, Roblox, Minecraft, Total war, even Lego games which are now one of my favourite games to play 🙂 ! And as much as i still love retro on the Gamecube and PS2 for the nostalgia and variety of games, I’m grateful for the joys of digital gaming and not needing to install Sims and all of its expansion packs using thousands of discs. 

Some of my absolute favourite games are simulation and role playing games such as the Sims, but also Kingdom Hearts, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Lego Harry Potter, Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, It Takes Two, the Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Dragon Age, the Last of Us, Assassins Creed and many more! Outside of gaming, I’m obsessed with Disney, History in particular the Tudors, Plantagenets, and French Revolution, board games, arts and crafts, sewing, fashion (especially costumes! :D),anime, Lego, digital art on Procreate (Ipad) and I love books and reading, I’m currently reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Gaming to me is so much more than just the joy it brings. It allows for an expansion of thoughts and ideas, a platform where anyone can find a game they excel and thrive in, a foundation for meaningful connections and to feel seen and heard, where imagination and storytelling is cherished, and an opportunity to explore worlds and new ideas. Gaming now more than ever creates a community based environment, giving people a place of belonging, and sharing the stories, characters and worlds with friends.

I’m also a qualified interior decorator, have training in manual handling and first aid, Level 2 in Counselling Skills and Awareness of Mental Health Conditions, and a Certificate in Online Safety, Safeguarding, Understanding Anxiety and Stress and non-suicidal self injury. 

I’m super excited to be a part of Mindjam, being part of a lovely team, and meeting the mentees I will be working with.