Everyone is interesting

I have always been interested in people. I still remember the amazement of realising as a primary school child that every single person I would meet would be an individual, different from anyone else. My mother encouraged people watching as a way to never be bored. Because everyone is interesting.

Later, the simultaneous process of coming out and putting my values into practice working with progressive people to try to make the world a fairer place changed me from something of an introvert to a confident communicator. This was reinforced through many years as an adult educator.

Working as a teacher in a maximum security prison confirmed what I had already suspected: that children who suffer too many adverse experiences are much more likely to be failed by the education system and to struggle to get a secure footing as adults in the world of work and responsible relationships.

Across my lifetime there has been a long overdue public recognition that poor mental health is a function of social pressure, and that trauma is a wound that takes enormous support to manage.

I'm grateful that I am now qualified as a counsellor and have a wide-ranging life experience.

I have learned to listen.

I can be a useful helper for anyone who wants to get to know themself better so that they can feel well and create the most satisfying experience of the precious temporary life we each have.