PhD, University of Hertfordshire
MSc Research Methods, BSc (hons) Psychology, Open University
PG Dip Intl Commerce, MA & BA Business Studies & Foreign Languages, Lille University, France

After experiencing two manic episodes with psychotic features whilst living in France, I returned to England, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the need to create a new life whilst learning to cope with the illness. I retrained in psychology whilst volunteering at a day centre for people with enduring mental health difficulties. I later worked as a research coordinator for MDF/The Bipolar Organisation whilst undertaking a masters in social research methods.

It struck me that mood management was not enough to cope well with this complex disorder: that aiming for the level of functioning prior to the breakdowns would mean I had not moved forward, my thinking, my attitudes and my way of life had not developed. The idea of developing In-Sight, a comprehensive lifestyle development group training programme, grew out of this need for greater recovery, and hence the need for more information and greater skills to enable this.

Drawing from research work in the field and from my own experience of recovery, and whilst first Chair leading the Herts service user organisation to become an independent charity, I researched the effectiveness of the In-Sight training for my PhD studies at the University of Hertfordshire. I was later Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Mental Health Recovery at the University of Hertfordshire from 2006 until the Centre ceased in 2010.

My personal aim is to enable people affected by mental ill health to increase their life chances and improve their wellbeing and quality of life. For me, this means that people need to receive quality training and appropriate support enabling them to increase their skills so as to become more empowered to make the choices that are more meaningful to them. Providing a user-led supportive environment within The Recovery In-Sight Centre and the new Social Enterprise, means that people are offered a range of services to meet their needs and role models to guide their progress towards returning to work at their own pace, with new skills and greater resilience as well as a wider social group which continues to offer peer support.

Some of my roles include or have included:

* I am a founding trustee and was first chair of ViewPoint, Hertfordshire’s mental health service user charity. For the charity’s launch and inaugural address : hertsviewpoint.co.uk

* I later worked as a Fellow for User and Carer Network Development (Hertfordshire) for the National Institute for Mental Health in England now part of the Care Service Improvement Partnership (CSIP), enabling groups of users and carers to work together.

* I helped the Commission for Public and Patient Involvement in Health to establish the Hertfordshire Local Involvement Network as an early adopter project.

* I attended the first national service user conference which later led to the formation of the National Service User Network (NSUN). Due to neck problems, I could not take up my seat on the board as planned.  mentalhealthtoday April 2006

* I spoke at the European conference on the launch of self-help groups in Lille, France in 2006, and founded the first bipolar support group in Hertfordshire in 2006, establishing a second group in Hertfordshire in 2008.

* In May 2009, I founded and led The Recovery In-Sight Centre as a company all of whose staff and volunteers have experienced mental distress. The Recovery In-Sight Centre offers training, peer support and self-help, research and advice in the area of mental health, delivered by academically-trained researchers and trainers who also have lived experience of mental health issues.

* In August 2010, I founded and lead The Recovery In-Sight Social Enterprise (RISE), based at the Old Free School in Watford, which also welcomes volunteers affected by mental health challenges in a supportive office environment to return to work and to develop their recovery skills at the same time. From 2008-2011, nine Recovery In-Sight courses have run in Hertfordshire, with research data being accumulated via focus groups and questionnaires pre and post-training.

Published work has appeared in:

* The Journal of Public Mental Heath and Mental Health Today (see Publications)

* The Observer on Sunday

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jan/06/mentalhealth.booksonhealth

* The NICE guidelines on bipolar disorder as a testimony to living with the illness (as ‘Helen’)

* BBC online interviews accompanying the Stephen Fry documentaries on bipolar disorder. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tv_and_radio/secretlife_bipolarstories.shtml

* I presented at the first series of seminars jointly run by the British Sociological Association/The Survivor Research Network at the British Library in London. http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/events/display_single_event?event_num=4771

* I have written in SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) knowledge reviews and annual reports http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/knowledgereviews/kr21.pdf

http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/corporate/annualreview06-07.pdf

* I presented at the first recovery workshop in Hertfordshire, on international and European perspectives, which has since led to an annual recovery conference http://213.121.207.229/upload/RECOVERY_WORKSHOP2.pdf

* I spoke at the first conference on Personalisation organised by the SPN (Social Perspectives Network) in collaboration with Changing Minds and SCIE

http://www.spn.org.uk/fileadmin/SPN_uploads/Documents/Papers/SPN_Papers/SPN_Personalisation_Publication_W.pdf

* I also wrote a chapter and contributed to a second chapter in the book, This is Survivor Research (see Publications).

* I presented at the first World Health Organisation/European Community meeting on Leadership & Empowerment in Belgium in 2010 (see Gallery) and the Recovery In-Sight training has been cited in their draft report emanating from this in 2011 (p. 18).

report-draft-18-march-2011

* I have also offered business consultancy to user-led organisations starting up in the field of mental health eg. SpeakUp CIC in Kent in 2011.