Hi, my name’s Esther! & here’s a bit about me & my business…
I’m an expert by experience. By that I mean, I have 16yrs of lived experience as a looked after child in the care system & 10+yrs of experience with mental health services involvement. For over a decade, I’ve worked alongside several universities; providing lecturers & students with deeper insights into what services are like, from the perspective of a service user. Other work I’ve undertaken within the universities includes:
– Interviewing candidates who’ve applied for a Social Work degree.
– Adapting university course content.
– Creating & leading interactive workshops.
– Discussing my personal experiences of Child & Adult Social/Health Care Services (+Q&A sessions).
See below for more info about my lived experiences.
I was placed in the care of the local authority at 13 months old because my parents weren’t well enough to look after me or my siblings. Later, I was placed on a full care order & lived in 10+ foster homes, 8+ children’s homes, & a boarding school before leaving the care system on my 18th birthday.
I had a mixture of positive & difficult experiences in the care system. One of the main issues I struggled with was that many of the adults in my life at that time, didn’t ‘properly’ listen to me. I was a traumatised child, so I often displayed behaviours that were deemed as ‘challenging’ to those around me. I was regularly misunderstood, wrongly-labelled & mistreated.
I had very little psychological intervention in my childhood, which meant I carried a lot of unresolved trauma throughout my teenage years. I believe that if I’d received more ‘trauma-informed’ care as a child, my care system experience would have been more positive, & the journey into adulthood, much easier – & that’s one of the reasons I decided to set up Mighty Oaks! To help raise awareness of mental health & trauma, as well as the voice of the child & service user.
The services I deliver offer an opportunity for professionals and individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the people they’re working with/supporting. The content I share in workshops and talks encourages a more compassionate and trauma-informed approach in practice. Practising in this way reduces the likelihood of further traumatisation of those who are reliant on services & others for support. Being trauma-informed is a win-win situation for everyone!
mightyoaks.net 