Meet the Team

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    Adele Pacini

    Adele is a Clinical Psychologist and registered mindfulness teacher who founded the Mindful Life Group. She holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge and is committed to creating accessible, high-quality programs that bridge science and practice.

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    Amanda Bloomfield

    Amanda is the CEO of Gatehouse Charity, and provides support and mentorship for our organisation. We work also in partnership with Gatehouse Charity to deliver some of our mindfulness courses. You can read more about Gatehouse Charity and their work here.

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    Annabel Stickland

    Annabel is one of our directors, a psychology graduate with an interest in qualitative approaches to understanding people’s experiences on the course. She manages the delivery of our programs and supports our interns and volunteers.

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    Gemma Hawkins

    Gemma is one of our directors, a psychology graduate with interests in clinical and educational psychology. She oversees the data collection and analysis for our courses, and co-leads on funding applications alongside Adele.

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    Christoph Spiessens

    Christoph completed an MA in Teaching Mindfulness-Based Approaches at Bangor University’s Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice. He is a BAMBA-registered Mindfulness Teacher (MBSR) and Founder of The Manchester Mindfulness Festival. He leads the LGBTQIA+ Mindfulness sessions for The Mindfulness Network and lives with his husband in Sale, Manchester. Christoph helps us to deliver our courses for older adult carers.

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    Ruth McDonald

    Ruth is a BAMBA-registered mindfulness teacher, having recently graduated with a Distinction in an MSc in Mindfulness Based Approaches at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University. Ruth is passionate about the transformative potential of mindfulness and how it can support us in daily life. Ruth helps to deliver our Mindfulness for Parents who Care course. You can find out more about Ruth on her website: www.mindfulbreathingspace.com

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    Jane Anderson

    Jane is a BAMBA registered mindfulness teacher and coach. After several years working as a corporate change expert, supporting people to adapt to changing circumstances both professionally and personally, she now uses these skills to help people integrate mindfulness into their daily lives. Jane is particularly passionate about supporting people in mid-life and beyond. Jane helps us to deliver our mindfulness courses for older adult carers. You can find out more about Jane here: https://mybeingmatters.co.uk

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    Lydia Taylor

    CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST IN TRAINING

    Lydia is a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire. Lydia’s clinical interests including working integratively and listening to people’s circumstances to build person-centred support. Prior to training, Lydia worked as a qualified Clinical Associate in Psychology, working with people who wished to improve their relationships and overall wellbeing.

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    Janice Birrell

    Janice is a psychology graduate with an interest in qualitative approaches to understanding people’s experiences. She assists with transcriptions and qualitative analysis of focus group and follow-on group interviews.

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    Aimee Bailey

    SANTANDER/APOLLO PROJECT FUTURE CLINICIANS INTERN

    Aimee is a final year psychology student with an interest in clinical and neuropsychology. She helps us with our qualitative data analysis and is passionate about working with older people.

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    Michelle Nicholson

    FUTURE CLINICAL RESEARCHER INTERN

    Michelle has an interest in mental health, autism, mindfulness and hopes to be accepted on a PhD program next year, with the aim of becoming a clinical psychologist or psychological researcher. Michelle assists us with our courses and qualitative data analysis.

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    Sanya Tariq

    Sanya recently graduated from the Open University with a BSc in Psychology with Counselling. She is exploring the psychology field with various volunteering opportunities, with the hope of gaining a trainee PWP position. Sanya is supporting us with our quantitative data.

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    Honey McLaughlin

    Honey is a third year BSc Psychology student at University of Bath with an interest in cognitive neuroscience, specifically neurodegenerative diseases. She is passionate about helping older adults and assists us with quantitative data analysis and course delivery. 

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    Emily Rogers

    Emily is a third-year BSc Psychology student at the University of Exeter, currently joining us on placement. She is passionate about supporting former carers and older adults in reconnecting with themselves and discovering a renewed sense of purpose through mindfulness. Emily hopes to pursue a career as a clinical psychologist, with a particular interest in promoting mental wellbeing in later life.

  • Claire Taylor

    Claire is a third year BSc Psychology student at University of Bath. She is passionate about supporting people at all stages of life, and is especially interested in working with older adults. Claire values mindfulness for its ability to help people manage stress, stay present, and build resilience. In the future, she hopes to pursue a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and hopes to integrate this approach into her future practice.

  • Melissa Matos

    OPEN UNIVERSITY USER EXPERIENCE CONTENT DESIGN INTERN

    Melissa is a sociology graduate with academic and professional experience in UX research and design. She enjoys designing products which improve our daily lives and is hoping to further pursue a career in this field.