Honorary Assistant Psychologist

• Oct 2022 - Present

Respite Foster Carer

• Jul 2020 - Present

- Short term respite care for 16 year old foster child. - Daily support in cooking meals and engaging in fun and practical activities. - Academic support in assisting with homework. - Deescalating emotional outbursts; re-establishing connection after a rupture. - Short term respite care for 16 year old foster child. - Daily support in cooking meals and engaging in fun and practical activities. - Academic support in assisting with homework. - Deescalating emotional outbursts; re-establishing connection after a rupture.

Undergraduate Intern

• Sep 2021 - Aug 2022

Research and Communications Assistant

• Jun 2020 - Aug 2022

- Monitored the inbox of the founder of CPTSD foundation, forwarding important items and personally replying to more general items. - Researched and systematised contact details for a representative in every university in the USA, U.K. and Ireland, as well as select English-speaking international universities. This was also done for treatment centres with a clear relation to trauma. - Contacted representatives in a vast range of institutions to offer them resources and opportunities to affiliate with CPTSD foundation Show less

Training Rep

• Jun 2020 - Jun 2022

- Trained the college's welfare team on mental illness and mental health first aid - Trained the 'Freshers Rep' team of 60 student leaders on the topics of mental health and LGBTQ+ identity - Created original training materials to be used in welfare training for subsequent years - Hosted 'drop-ins' both remotely and in-person for students needing emotional support and advice - Aided in designing and executing campaigns to increase student awareness of topics such as student housing and body image Show less

Specialist Notetaker

• Jan 2020 - Dec 2020

Note taking during lectures and seminars at the University of Durham for students whose learning disability prevents them from doing so. Students requiring this service are often have some visual or auditory impairment. Working with these students has tempered my own communication skills, and my sensitivity towards those who do not experience the world on the same terms as myself. This role also requires me to be organised and reliable, confirming the time and place before every lecture, and ensuring the student is able to get there. I also had significant safe-guarding training to prepare me for this role, ensuring I am well equipped to deal with any issue that may arise while I am on the job. Show less

Special Education Teaching Assistant

• Sep 2018 - Aug 2019

I spent my gap year volunteering in the 'Enrichment Centre' at Mitchell House school in Polokwane, South Africa. The Enrichment Centre was home to children unable to attend mainstream school due to a variety of learning disabilities. The majority of the students had diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder, while other students were challenged with Cerebral Palsy and Down's syndrome, among other more rare conditions. My role at Mitchell House was constantly changing. I rotated weekly between the Junior, Senior and Life Skills phases, as well as the Grade 00 class in the main school. This allowed me to gain invaluable experience with learners at all stages of childhood: from the age of 3 through to 19. This meant my weeks called for quite different skill sets. During my weeks in the Junior class I could be changing nappies, leading art classes and helping to feed those children who were unable to do so themselves. My Senior class rotation was more focused on building the learners' social skills. We would study emotions alongside our usual music and art lessons, and I would take the more capable learners to 'inclusion' - scheduled classes with their mainstream counterparts. The Like Skills phase had more independent learners, and my role became more recognisably a teacher. My day would include one-on-one tutoring, guiding whole-class discussions and supporting the learners in their popcorn enterprise: making and selling popcorn to the rest of the school. I was also able to shadow the occasional speech therapy and occupational therapy sessions with certain children. This gave me an insight into how these therapies are conducted, and I was fortunate enough to see how these interventions caused real improvement even in the short space of a year! In all, Michell House enabled me to gain invaluable experience, not only in understanding the plight of children with learning disabilities, but it also tempered many of my personal qualities such as leadership and communication Show less