Hi I’m Laura, and I am really excited to be a part of your Mindjam journey. I have a cat called Bagheera who’s four, and a dog called Sammi, who will be 10 this year. My favourite cartoon at the minute is Family Guy and my favourite chocolate bar is either a Twix or a Milky Way. I love learning new things, exploring nature, visiting the seaside, going to music events, and of course… gaming.

My favourite games at the moment are probably Fortnite, Roblox or Among Us although, more recently I’ve been exploring the wonders of Procreate on my IPad (with the help of Youtube).
Falling under the neurodivergent umbrella myself, I found school quite demanding, with some concepts seeming just ‘too difficult’ to understand. It wasn’t until my last year of university that I was actually diagnosed, this helped alleviate the mass amount of pressure to ‘keep up’ with the curriculum which I know is the case for so many other people as well. If I had access to MindJam during my school years, I think it would have really helped me find the
enjoyment in learning new things rather than the frustration.

After graduating university, I started working for a great charity called Penderels Trust. My role was to facilitate and engage in activities in order to teach transferable skills that would build confidence and independence in everyday life. Maintaining healthy relationships has been the foundation of my success, which in turn, enabled me to learn unique support requirements to help manage different life challenges. I’ve tried and tested using gaming
narratives and creative play as great technique’s in providing emotional regulation, building adaptive coping mechanisms, and creating a sense of belonging.

I’ve worked in lots of different support roles, supporting people with an array of conditions such as, OCD, ADHD, PDA, autism, tourettes, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. I’m also very familiar with the challenges that can arise when learning new things for someone affected by PDA. I have found escapism in the digital world a great way to eliminate some of society’s pressure to do things in a certain way, which not only creates mass relief but
also gives major motivation for personal and academic growth. Since working in my support role, I found integrating online outlets can positively shift someone’s state of mind and works as a great technique in finding out how the individual learns best, consequently breeding enthusiasm and excitement towards a task which otherwise would have felt too challenging.

Whether you’re a new mentee, or a parent / carer seeking advice, I’m here to help in any way I can, whilst making some great memories along the way!