Testimonials

Inclusive, accessible, compassionate, reflective, flexible…change theory can be a dry old subject, but Naomi skilfully involved us all at every stage in what felt like bespoke training for each and every one of us. I’ve worked with her a number of times now, and on every occasion, she uses her wealth of experience, knowledge, skills, values and, essentially, her capacity to listen to ensure our work is co-created. With Square Pegs Experts by Experience Community Interest Company she’s ensuring our ideas, passions, hopes and dreams are being distilled into something tangible. 

Our management team is made up of people with a living experience of mental ill-health. We are exploring the feasibility of creating a central body that protects the interests of people working as lived experience practitioners, with the ultimate aim of providing mental health services that are focused on the needs of service users and not the organisations that provide them. This is a challenging path, that cannot be rushed, and Naomi is supporting us to navigate our way imaginatively and with good humour. 

Our primary goal, at present, is to reach out to, and work alongside, minoritised groups who are routinely marginalised in the development of organisations such as ours. Naomi’s experience enables us to meet the challenges of that blurry interface where ambition and reality meet, as we explore and develop policies, guidelines, training whilst ensuring the support needs of everyone concerned are met. This requires trust, built through honest and open relational practice. It is this trust that forms the foundations of our work together, which ensures our creativity is never stifled, bringing us ever closer to the outcomes we’re aiming for. Naomi is an absolute pleasure to work with. 

Naomi was involved with Sea Mills Repair Cafe from its inception in May 2022 and served us in two roles, as a fundraiser and as a long term welcomer on our front desk. We realised that we would need grant help to help us meet our hall hire and insurance costs until we received more customer donations. Naomi worked with my co-founder Ella to write this successful application. I am sure that Naomi’s pre-existing experience in this area was a key reason why this application was successful. She was in tune with our needs and knew the requirements of grant providers.

Naomi also served us as a welcomer on the front desk and I believe her welcome played a crucial part in building up the repair cafe, which soon become self-sustaining through customer donations. Naomi was a great team member and able to get on with a wide range of people and think quickly and flexibly. She is warm yet professional. She can take the initiative and lead and also knows when to seek help and clarification. I know she was committed to our ethos of working for change at a local level and certainly had a key role in getting us going.                                                                                               

Naomi has come alongside us as a very new CIC in Bristol, supporting and guiding us as we bring to life our passion project. Her guidance has been invaluable. Working with her to understand and develop our Theory of Change has hugely supported us in building clarity and confidence in our aims and direction for the CIC. Naomi led our Theory of Change sessions with such expertise and did a brilliant job at hearing us and guiding us. It’s such a pleasure to work with her, and our CIC would not be where it is without her!

Rae Pears

Founder and Director, Girlhood Reclaimed

I worked with Naomi in her role as Director of Self Injury Support (SIS) via the Self-Harm Matters Health Integration Team (HIT) in Bristol which I was Clinical Director of for 3+ years until 2023.  Naomi is always knowledgeable, compassionate and passionate about improving services for and people who self-harm’s experiences of healthcare. With an ability to think way outside the box she is creative and has a problem solving, can-do, attitude that helps to navigate this often emotive subject in a pragmatic but caring way. This is no mean feat. Naomi has always been reliable, professional and brings a layer of lived experience to the work which adds depth. I enjoyed working with her so much that even after she left SIS we continue to work together on creative projects.

I was lucky enough to work with Naomi on my doctoral research project, and on a creative zine project, and I can’t speak highly enough of her. It was a real honour to collaborate someone with such insight into, and expertise around, the lives and experiences of people who self-harm. Naomi’s approach to ethics, rigour, collaboration, and care is second to none. I learned so much from her, and the project was exponentially better for her involvement. Naomi was always a pleasure to work with, and I would jump at the chance to collaborate again. 

‘I interviewed Naomi when researching a book on women’s mental health and found her depth of knowledge and experience of the field of self-harm incredibly helpful. She really understands the shortcomings of healthcare for people who self-harm, what must change
and how to go about it.’