I am a freelance storyteller and author, as well as being a bereavement counsellor for over 16 years. For 20 years I was a psychiatric social worker using stories and storytelling as part of my therapeutic practice. Many of the patients had unresolved grief issues which impacted on their mental health. Naming and exploring emotions through storytelling made a difference. Similarly, while working at a women's prison and a juvenile detention centre I became aware how much their offending behaviours related to an early unresolved grief.

My Fellowship was about Storytelling in the Care of the Dying and the Bereaved and I went to the USA and Canada to explore the different ways that storytelling – traditional, personal, creative and digital – enabled people to develop stronger and more resilient personal coping and managing strategies.

Since completing my Fellowship, I have run storytelling and bereavement workshops for Cruse, Relate, hospices and local bereavement services in England and Scotland to share the skills, as well as writing articles. I also work in schools and hospitals developing emotional literacy and resilience through storytelling.