I have worked in several primary schools both in voluntary and paid teaching assistant roles and also have experience of planning and leading sessions for primary school children.I have a BA in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Warwick and an MA in Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University. I am particularly interested in the rewriting of traditional tales to make them accessible to different audiences and to explore their philosophical content and influences to introduce philosophical concepts to new audiences. I am studying for a PhD in Creative Writing to continue with this theme and to look at how fairy tales can be beneficial for children and young adults both in education and as part of their personal development as well as the way in which creative writing can be useful in the context of mental health and particularly autism.I have also worked in mental health with a view to working in this field in the future, possibly using creative writing as a medium or as a form of therapeutic writing. I volunteer for Coventry and Warwickshire Mind in the Young People Services called Reach which works with children and young people aged 7-19 experiencing emotional difficulties such as low mood, self esteem issues, anger awareness and anxiety management. I have also worked for the NHS in both inpatient and community settings.I have spoken at several postgraduate conferences at Aberystwyth University about questions of identity in fairy tales and children's literature and the links between creative writing and autism. In 2012, I spoke at the Folklore and Fantasy conference at the University of Chichester and in September 2012, I read a creative story at the After Grimm conference at Kingston University in London. I have had two poems published in Autism Matters, a quarterly publication from Autism West Midlands.Specialities: Creative writing, mental health, education, philosophy, fairy tales, psychology, running.