Hi. Welcome to Children Heard.
My name is May. I am a counselling and community psychologist with a passion for promoting young children's voices in families, at school, and at a wider societal level.
I started Children Heard together with Dr. Gail Sinitsky at the beginning of the pandemic in an attempt to create a platform for children to share their own thoughts and experiences.
I belive that hearing children on the big issues facing our world is not only important for children's sense of belonging, but for society as a whole as we seek to grow, come together and mobilise towards positive social change.
The project continues to grow into new directions. The stories children share are used to create health and social justice awareness resources for children, resources that place children's own accounts centre-stage.
Children Heard is a non-profit initiative, ready to grow in new directions as we engage with children and hear their ideas. I am really keen to hear from children, families and like-minded others who wish to exchange ideas and join forces in creating more opportunities for children's voices to be heard.
Dr. May Lene Karlsen
Community Psychologist, Norway
May completed her doctorate in Counselling Psychology in 2010 and now works as a community psychologist in Norway. She has worked with children and families in different roles and has realised that many of the difficulties children face must be solved in the community rather than by children and families alone. She believes that society is suffering from a shortage of children’s voices – something special happens to decision-making processes when children are offered a seat around the table.
In addition to the therapeutic work more typically associated with psychologists, May has worked as a university lecturer, supervisor, clinical lead and service developer. Given some free time, she loves going to the café, alone or with others, to enjoy the buzz of community life over a cup of cappuccino.
Dr. Gail Sinitsky
Counselling Psychologist, UK
Gail's passion lies in promoting children's mental health and social-emotional well-being. Having completed her Doctorate in Counselling Psychology in 2011, she has since been providing therapy to children and families in schools and in NHS CAMHS clinics. In June 2020, she launched a social enterprise, Young & Mighty, with the aim of pro-actively nurturing children's mental health from a young age.
Gail is committed to working in partnership with children. It is important to her that children's voices are heard and promoted, in their relationships and in society as a whole. With this in mind, she started Children Heard with May at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as she was determined to provide a platform for children to share their experiences. Although not currently involved in the delivery of Children Heard, she is always delighted to keep up-to-date with the projects and to meet with May for reflective and creative sessions.
