The Dissociative Disorders Alliance

We discovered we were living with Dissociative Identity Disorder in our mid life. We’ve volunteered with The DDA since inception and currently chair the Trustee board. We previously had a long career in the Food, Drink and Agricultural industry, mainly in Strategy, Training and Marketing and Communication roles. We draw on these skills and our lived experience in our voluntary work. We have shared our lived experience through training courses, live webinars and have also appeared on regional and national radio. When energy levels allow, we get out and about running which is a key part of our self care routine. It helps us with nervous system regulation, not only through exercising in nature, but also by providing social connections through running clubs. We also have a growing collection of house plants and are doing our best to keep them alive! 

I recently joined The DDA and I'm excited to contribute to the amazing work being done by my fellow Trustees. For 7 years I’ve been volunteering and working with children and adults in the anti-abuse sector and learning as much as I can to better understand and support dissociative victim-survivors. I bring this knowledge and experience to my work with The DDA.

I'm fiercely passionate about radical social justice - particularly children’s liberation, intersectional feminism, psych abolition and disability justice. When I have time (which is almost never) I love reading, writing, nature, and getting involved in low-budget community theatre (specifically being in Hamlet over and over again!).

We are a multiply neurodivergent system.  We have been actively involved in setting up The DDA since September 2022, and a Trustee since The DDA achieved charity status in March 2025. We draw on our previous experiences of working in the charity sector, in particular within a small and relatively new charity where we worked as an Occupational Therapist. We strongly believe in the important role that charities have in improving the lives of its beneficiaries through direct support, awareness raising and working with allies to effect systemic change. When not working on ‘DDA stuff’, we enjoy spending time with our animals, on our allotment or, if it’s too dark or wet outside, reading a book!

I’ve been involved with the DDA since 2023. I’m a therapist, supervisor and trainer and I’ve worked at CDS UK (Clinic for Dissociative Studies) since 2011.

It’s frustrating that dissociative disorders remain so poorly understood, both within mental health services and society in general. I’m aware of how devastating the impact of this can be for those seeking help. It therefore feels incredibly important to be part of a charity promoting accurate and compassionate understanding and support, a collaboration between people with lived experience, professionals in the field and other supporters.

I had a first career as a violinist and continue to find inspiration in music.

I’ve been involved with The DDA since 2023 and am really proud to serve as a trustee. Professionally, I spent just over twenty years working in a third sector mental health crisis service, where I met a lot of people who’d been traumatised, often in childhood. Many of the regular visitors to that service experienced complex dissociation; and, sadly, it was really clear just how inadequate mainstream services are in meeting their needs. Currently, I work more strategically on improving health & wellbeing outcomes for adults who’ve experienced childhood sexual abuse; and lead on embedding trauma-informed practice within community mental health services in Leeds (there is a lot of work to do!)

I unwind by listening to heavy metal, hardcore punk and house music; watching films (usually horror movies); and hanging out with my cat.

We have recently joined the DDA as a Trustee. We spent the first 25 years in senior NHS executive roles leading patient safety, while also holding academic posts at UCL and Imperial College, where we developed incident investigation systems and improved support for patients and staff who had experienced harm. We have lectured internationally and published extensively. We were diagnosed with DID in our middle years. Therapy enabled us to return to work as a Lived Experience Training and Development Lead, where we teach professionals to work effectively with people with complex mental health needs. We also run a counselling practice offering trauma-informed therapy and peer mentorship, to those with dissociative disorders. We have a keen interest in research for DID and have provided training on DID within the NHS and beyond. Outside of work, we enjoy time outdoors with our three dogs, music, and the gym.