​​We know that by inviting you into our wonderful little Taming Olivia world that we have a responsibility to do it right. We want everything we do to be well thought out and to the benefit of those around us. We have written this statement to help be transparent about who we are and how we choose to work. 

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Income and Funds

The majority of Taming Olivia’s work is voluntary and we receive no pay - Pete and I use our income from our day jobs to fund Taming Olivia. As of May 2024 we will begin selling well-being and mental health recovery packs to help fund our work. If you would like to help with funding please check out our shop or consider donating via the Support Our Work button on the website!

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​Our Experience and Qualifications

• Pete and I have spent the past decade working within the realms of the wonderful mental health and OCD advocacy communities. We have made a worldwide network of wonderful partners and friends who work with in the same field. We know a lot about this area. 

• I am a qualified specialist social, emotional and mental health teacher so I am qualified to talk about learning styles and how best to learn. I am qualified to develop and teach my own schemes of work about things like mental health, well-being and self-care strategies in line with the UK Governments Educational and Social Policies and Curriculum. I also have loads of experience in creating fun, accessible and vibrant resources that will support learning.

• Pete is a qualified graphic artist and designer. It’s thanks to him that the website, packs and blogs all look so awesome!

• Neither Pete nor I are therapists or OCD/ mental health/medical professionals. I've seen some seriously bad practice over my years of advocacy and know how important it is to get proper professional help if you are struggling. So please make sure you talk to your medical/mental health professional if you have any questions. 

 

Relevant training and qualifications:

Catherine:

• BA (Hons) - Psychology (British Psychological Society accredited) 2:1 with a focus on Child Development and Counselling in Education

• Post Graduate Certificate of Education (with Qualified teacher Status)

• Over a decade teaching in schools in East London with additional training in SEND and Inclusion

• Teachers Training for Supporting Children With PANS or PANDAS - CPD accredited

• Charity Trustee Safeguarding training - NSPCC - CPD accredited

• Safeguarding for Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing in Education - NSPCC - CPD accredited

• Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People's Mental Health. NCFE accredited.

• Safeguarding Young People and Young Adults training - NSPCC - CPD accredited

• Enhanced DBS 

• Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Education - Level 2 

• Online Safety Training - NSPCC - CPD accredited

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Partnerships

We are always extremely careful about who we work with and whose work we share. Ethics and integrity is always chosen over exposure and/or financial gain. We try to make sure that every choice I make is done with the utmost of care. We've built up a bank of medical professionals who we trust over the years and we will seek their opinions if we are in need of clarification on anything.

 

We know how important it is to work with people with the same values as us so we use due diligence when deciding on partnerships and whose work to share. 

 

Safeguarding and Mental Health Support

We are not qualified to give mental health support or medical advice but we know how distressing OCD can be. Because of that we have made sure that we have training in Mental Health First Aid and in Safeguarding so we know how best to respond and signpost individuals who need support onto the relevant places and organisations. This training also allows us to design our website, direct our work and respond to others in a way that keeps people as safe from harm as possible.

 

Additional Policies 

To support this statement we have a number of other policies. Please check them out along with our disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

 

If you have any additional questions or suggestions please feel very free to email me at catherine@tamingolivia.com

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Sending you loads of love,

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Cat xx