Hello! I am very passionate about supporting others in their mental health struggles and have volunteered for related charities and local organisations for many years. My professional background is in biotechnology and medical publishing, but my time volunteering inspired me to pursue a PGCert in Psychology which has helped expand my knowledge on the topic.

I know from personal experience how important it is to have a welcoming non-judgemental space in which you can voice your concerns and feelings. Learning to communicate openly and honestly can have a major positive impact on our mental wellbeing, and make us feel less isolated. I have helped facilitate support groups related to OCD in my local area for years and have also volunteered at Spectrum Gaming in which I regularly interact with autistic young people. I have found it fascinating to be a part of communities of fellow neurodivergent individuals, and it has helped me learn more about many common comorbidities and features of autism, such as ADHD and PDA.

I have received training from OCD Action to become an advocate for their service. During my time at Spectrum Gaming I have also taken part in various informal training sessions, including on the NEST approach, trauma in autistic individuals, as well as the SP-EAK training in suicide prevention with the charity Papyrus UK. I love to learn new things and hope to expand my knowledge whilst working at MindJam; not only professionally, but from the young people I meet!

I play a variety of games on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, including Minecraft, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Stardew Valley, and the Portal series. Apart from gaming, I thoroughly enjoy crafting and making things (including a big mess), and spending time with my pets – Tess the dog, and my cats Morty and Māo.