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Carys Norman

Head of Children & Young People and Crisis Services

I joined Hertfordshire Mind Network (HMN) in 2014 from the NHS after gaining a BSc (Hons)/DPS in Psychology from Loughborough University. I have knowledge and understanding of front line service delivery, when I started at HMN as a support worker and went on to design and deliver our Peer Support programme for young care leavers and young carers. I am passionate about improving mental health and wellbeing provision, providing choice and quality assured services in the charity sector, with a keen interest in children and young people’s mental health, suicide prevention, widening access of mental health provision for all, and staff development. As our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, and Suicide Prevention Lead, I ensure that our organisation keeps listening and learning so that we are responsive to our local communities and their needs.

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Joe Owers

Services Manager - Children and Young People & HMN Projects

I’m Joe, the Services Manager at Herts Mind Network (HMN) who oversees all of our Children and Young People Services. I have worked at HMN for over 5 years and have always worked in the Children and Young People’s Team. I have experience in delivering long-term 1:1 mentoring, residential summer schools, groups, training, workshops, wellbeing courses, crisis support and a mental health helpline. I am extremely passionate about young people’s mental health and alongside my job I am currently training to become a psychotherapeutic counsellor for children and adolescents. This will enable me to further support young people with processing and navigating their experiences, feelings and emotions. I am very proud of the teams that I lead and the dynamic, creative and impactful work we do to make a difference for young people in Hertfordshire that are facing mental health difficulties.

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Talitha Rudman

Children & Young People's Coordinator

Hello! My name is Talitha and I am a CYP Coordinator for the With Youth service. I am passionate about working with young people, giving them space to express their individuality as well as realising and reaching their goals and dreams. My experience before this job was mainly supporting individuals with Autism/ADHD to be independent in their community, empowering everyone I have worked with to make their own decisions about their life. A little bit about me… I love all animals and I love spending time outdoors as well as regularly practicing mindfulness and meditation.

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Ilaria Sedda

Children & Young People's Coordinator

I’m Ilaria, and I am a CYP Coordinator. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from City, University of London, which gave me knowledge and passion for mental health. In particular, I am interested in children’s and young people’s mental health and am passionate about supporting them to find and enjoy the best version of themselves. In my experience, I mainly supported individuals with depression, mood disorder, anxiety and autism to live a good quality life, be independent and speak up about concerns. In my free time, I enjoy dancing and exploring new cities. I also love spending time with dogs.

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Carol Lilley

Children & Young People Emotional Wellbeing Awareness Trainer

I work on the Spot the Signs and Emotional Wellbeing project and deliver a range of training and workshop sessions to youth professionals, children and young people, as well as parents/carers and families. I am also a qualified Life Coach and NLP Practitioner and run my own Coaching business, where I work with young people and adults alike. I also freelance as a presenter for Learning Performance, Young Enterprise and Kidscape.

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Faye Gaddes

CYP Support Worker

Hi, my name is Faye and I am a Children and Young people’s support worker. The aim of my role is to help children and young people with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. This is an exciting opportunity for me and I am so happy to be part of the Hertfordshire Mind Network team. I hope to be able to provide support and de-stigmatise mental health. I am a graduate, with a first-class honours in Psychology and Sociology. I also have experience working in the charity sector with young people and adults. I am interested in learning about mental health difficulties and therapies. When I am not working, I like travelling, shopping, reading and spending time with friends.

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Alex Dalton

CYP Support Worker

My name is Alex, I am a CYP Support Worker. I have spent much of my career working closely with individuals on the autism spectrum, supporting them in a person centred way to achieve any and all life goals. I am passionate about supporting people to become empowered in their daily lives – whether that’s to do with education, work or even meeting new people and broadening their social circles. I am very excited about this service and am looking forward to supporting our service users. When I’m not at work I unwind by playing football, listening to music or playing video games!

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Alex Smiles

Spark Group Facilitator

My name is Alex and I am a CYP Group Facilitator for a creative wellbeing group in Bishop Stortford called Spark. I love working with young people, I am passionate about children’s rights, LGBTQIA+ and Neurodivergent inclusivity, consent, mental wellbeing and healthy relationships. I have worked with young people for over 12 years and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. When I am not at work I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I love learning new things, creative mediums and listening to music.

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