About Us
Charlotte is a qualified integrative counsellor and trainer with a special interest in working with chronically ill people. With a Master’s degree in Social Policy, the sociopolitical aspects of mental health have always been an important part of her work, and she believes that it is important for mental health professionals (and other professionals) to acknowledge the role of oppressive political and social systems on mental ill health.
She works as a counsellor in a community organisation in Bolton, offering NHS and local council funded counselling to people in the area, working with a variety of presentations including depression, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, and complex trauma. It was here she identified recurring themes that came up amongst her chronically ill clients, especially related to their experience of disability and their interactions with the healthcare system, and she started to reflect upon and research how best to work with this community.
In addition to this, she also works as a trainer for the CPCAB Level 2 in Counselling Skills, which is the first step prospective counsellors take towards qualification. Her lifelong love of education and learning make this a particularly exciting role for her, and she enjoys the opportunity to help shape the counsellors of the future.
Charlotte experiences chronic fatigue and chronic pain and is diagnosed with ADHD, all of which have posed challenges and provided perspective on her work and goals. There have been times when these conditions have impacted negatively on her mental health, especially when there has been a gap between what she wants to achieve and what she is able to. Learning her own limitations has been a harsh learning process and it is still ongoing.
Charlotte knew that she wanted to combine her belief in the life-changing power of counselling, her strong sense of social justice, and her passion for education into something that could improve the lives of chronically ill people at both an individual and societal level. Created alongside her sister, Lucinda, Visible Empathy represents their shared vision of a more empathetic world, in which chronically ill people are treated with dignity, respect and compassion.
Lucinda is a Delivery and Governance Manager in the care sector, as well as a Level 3 qualified Personal Trainer and certified Nutrition Coach (PNL1). She has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Slipping Rib Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, AuDHD, and OCD.
Lucinda went from building a sporty life of running and strength training to aid her mental health (unknown AuDHD at the time), to then dislocating for the first time during a training run, which then had a rapid snowball effect of EDS symptoms appearing and her mental health spiralling even further. She was diagnosed with Classical Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in June 2020, and since then has had three major rib surgeries, one knee surgery, and numerous other medical procedures.
She gained her Personal Training qualification to be as knowledgeable as possible about exercise to stop muscle deconditioning (something detrimental to EDS) and to one day build back up to long distance running. Despite this knowledge, regular dislocations still occurred as a hypermobile body has different needs and risks. Through trial and error, and with copious amounts of research through support pages and related charities, she managed to build up from bed bound, to walking with crutches, to walking with a stick, to walking without, to a run-walk, to finally running a half marathon.
Although she has a great personal support team of friends and family, and has found doctors and surgeons who have changed her life for the better, she has encountered a lot of medical professionals who have drastically lacked empathy. This has included statements made on an A&E visit with slipped ribs that ‘that’s not how anatomy works’, and waiting for 22 hours and treated poorly by staff due what was later admitted to be a lack of knowledge about her conditions.
Lucinda lacks energy but doesn’t lack passion in trying to make systems more supportive for chronically ill people. She knows firsthand how understanding and empathy towards her and her illnesses have a massive impact on her mental health, and she’s aware of how many people are going through the exact same thing.
Created alongside her sister, Charlotte, Visible Empathy represents their shared vision of a more empathetic world, in which chronically ill people are treated with dignity, respect and compassion.
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