The RISE Project
Resilience • Identity • Self-Esteem • Emotional Regulation
If you have been following my Instagram recently you will have seen or heard my talk about the change in my work over the summer. If you haven’t then let me tell you.
After 4 years of being funded by a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), offering them their online provision, it came to an end. This was something I knew was going to happen and something deep down I wanted. I have for a long time found an inner irritation, there was a part of me being called to step away, to do what I really knew was my calling and to give more time to this business.
Although I have been working with clients for the last 18 months, my attention and dedication to this work hasn't been at its fullest.
For a long time, the idea of RISE has been fermenting in the background. I have had years of experiencing working in child and adolescent mental health, working in all sectors and different agencies.
But over this time, I’d become disillusioned in what we offered young people and families. I found the more I trained and explored other paths, learnt more about our nervous system and worked more within a new science of understanding trauma and the subconscious mind, the harder it was to work within a system that medicalised and pathologised the human experience.
Adolescence can be one of the most exciting yet overwhelming times in life. The changes—emotional, physical, and social—can bring uncertainty, self-doubt, and pressure to “have it all together.” Without the right support, it’s easy to feel lost, anxious, or disconnected.I kept seeing young people, being forced to conform to a set way of performing, learning and expressing themselves that didn’t offer space for individual needs or identity.
It lacked compassion and curiosity, it didn’t offer the space for exploring what was trying to be expressed through behaviours and feelings. It rather punished or stifled expression and differences.
Parents would struggle to be heard and didn’t feel safe or able to be truly open without the fear of judgment.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t always the case and I’m not slating the people who work hard and do their best, but they are working in a system, driven by getting people in and out as quickly as possible and offering the therapies that really have little affect on the overall picture of what we are presented with in this day and age.
I stayed, as I believed I was offering something different, I was left to work in a way that allowed for education on the important nervous system science to be shared. I worked from where the young person and family were, I used creativity to engage, I understood more about neurodiversity and worked with this to engage some of the harder to engage young people.
I knew I made a difference.
And this is where RISE is now being born from. Being created for and hopefully alongside the young people I work with.
The young people I have worked with were teenagers, struggling to meet the expectations of social media, society, education and the relationships they were navigating. They were becoming more of the individuals who wanted to challenge the narrative, but by doing so, they were seen as disruptive and disobedient or quiet and reclusive. Leading them to feel judged and ashamed for expressing themselves and showing up. When they were just showing up differently.
Or they would be burnt out, seen as depressed or overly anxious, but in reality they were stuck in a response driven by the overwhelm and stress of not having space to recover and heal from experiences that impacted them emotionally and physiologically.
RISE was created to change that.
It’s a place where young people are truly seen, heard, and supported to grow into the strongest, most authentic version of themselves.
The Four Pillars
How I Work
RISE is a trauma-informed, person-centred programme that blends:
Therapeutic conversations
Healing techniques to make change happen
Nervous system awareness and adaptability
Every young person’s journey is unique—so my approach is tailored, flexible, and guided by their needs.
The Heart Behind RISE
My work is shaped by both professional expertise and lived experience. As a therapist and mental health nurse, I’ve supported countless young people through this stage of life. And I remember what it feels like to navigate the confusion and intensity of these years.
I bring both proven skills and genuine understanding to every session—creating a space where trust can grow, and change can happen. My style is warm, approachable, and down-to-earth, balanced with the professionalism and clinical knowledge to make a real difference.
Why RISE Matters
Because too many young people are silently struggling.
Because the pressure to be “perfect” is louder than ever.
Because the right support can change the course of a life.
These are some words shared by a young person I worked with recently. Her name has been changed. I met her when she was coming to the end of year 10, she wasn’t attending school, she was regularly self-harming, presented as depressed, had challenges with friendships and wasn’t keen to start our work. In year 11, she was close to being thrown out of school. At that point something clicked, she saw she was worth fighting for. She turned it around, she slipped up occasionally but she finished school, attended prom and got a place on a college course for the following September. At the end of that year, she had got pupil of the year, had a great group of friends, stopped self-harming, had a part-time shop and had pride in who she was.
What it was like working with Julianne.
My life was a rollercoaster of emotions but once I started working with Julianne that’s when all the unknown of my emotions came into place . Julianne has a lot of time and patience for anything you throw her way. She's a very down to earth person who also loves a good laugh . She’s definitely a cool person . I had Julianne work with me for almost 2 years and it was a long process but she helped me get through my darkest of times and see that life was worth living and all the beautiful things it has to offer . 😁❤️- Ella.
RISE is open to 14-21 year olds. To support through the transitions of life, both during secondary education and on to university. Recognising that leaving home, adjusting to “adulting” is huge and scary and will often need that further support and guidance.
It’s not just young people alone that are offered this work. Parents can be part of the support. It can make a huge change to the situation and relationships when parents are also doing some work themselves. We share an energetic field with our family, we all transmit and receive emotionally into and out of it. When we change the emotions of any individual we are changing the field for all involved. Much change has been seen in families when working indirectly with each other.
If you want to discuss any of the above further, then get in touch here and we can book a chat online or over the phone.
You can learn more about RISE, on this page of my website.
I look forward to sharing more with you through these newsletters or over on my Instagram
