I’ve collaborated with charities including New Writing North, RECLAIM, 42nd Street, Walk the Plank, School’s Out, The Men’s Room and The Proud Trust, led workshops in women’s centres, community centres, libraries, schools and universities, and have a proven track record of being able to engage groups of all ages, backgrounds and education levels. I’m an empathic, passionate facilitator who always receives glowing feedback about the thought, creativity, energy and skill I put into my sessions. From sexual violence survivors to young offenders, I have experience of working with a wide range of demographics, and tailor every session to my audience’s needs, taking into account background, literacy level and other relevant factors to make sure everyone feels as safe, supported and empowered as possible.

Tying into my work as a qualified, BACP-accredited therapist, I’m especially passionate about using creative approaches to support mental health and wellbeing. There is a wealth of research demonstrating that creative writing can contribute to increased resilience, higher self-esteem, better moods, decreased stress and even improvements in pain levels and sleep. Along with the scientific research literature to support this, I’ve seen it over and over again in my workshops, with feedback repeatedly showing that participants feel more confident and positive afterwards. I’ve also collaborated with numerous organisations to lead workshops and talks about various models and strategies for understanding and enhancing mental health and wellbeing – including dedicated sessions on topics such as boundaries, burnout, trauma recovery and many more. You’ll find more details about this on the mental health page.

I am the founder and former director of For Books’ Sake, a non-profit I established in 2010 to empower marginalised writers to develop their writing craft, confidence and community through events, workshops and publishing projects. From 2010-2021, I developed and delivered talks and workshops across the UK, produced a nationwide programme of live events, edited and published several anthologies, and led a series of residential writing retreats. In collaboration with Write Like a Grrrl, from 2015-2020 I delivered creative writing workshops for thousands of women and non-binary writers across the North West and co-produced Grrrl Con Festival. All of which to say: I have extensive production and facilitation experience, developing and delivering material across an extensive array of topics for audiences of all sizes and backgrounds, and am skilled at combining my in-depth craft knowledge with my therapeutic training and experience to make session content accessible, empowering and exciting.