Compass Be – Barnsley Mental Health Support Team

Hi, I’m Vick and I am delighted to be the Service Manager for Compass Be Mental Health Support Team.

I recently completed a Post Graduate Certificate with Northumbria University, Transformational Leadership in Children and Young People’s Mental Health, and have a background in Public Sector leadership. I have worked for the past 14 years in local government within the Early Help and Prevention Service, and have led the Supporting Families Programme, the Early Help Front Door and the Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Service.

I am passionate about improving access to emotional and mental health support for all, ensuring children and young people can access the right support at the right time. Barnsley is a fantastic skill mix early intervention and prevention team which means we have a diverse range of support on offer to meet the differing needs of children and young people.

I am a mum of 2 girls who generally keep my busy. When I am not at work I love to be outdoors, and you will often find me hacking out with my daughter and her pony. I also love walking with my 3 dogs and taking them to a nearby beach.

Hi! I’m Louise and I’m the Team Leader for Compass Be.
I’m a Mental Health Nurse and have been working with young people and schools for 7 years.
I think making sure young people get the right help when and how they need it is so important and I love that I get to do this for my job every day.
Outside of work my favourite thing is to spend time with my family and my many pets. I also love to read fiction and fantasy and I’m not against a good Netflix binge!

I'm Michelle Eyre a Supervising Practitioner at Compass Be. My background is in integrative counselling supporting children and young people within many different service settings such as drug and substance misuse, domestic abuse, sexual violence and mental health all with one aim to help improve satisfaction of life.
I really enjoy my job within Compass Be as my days are so varied and never the same. I could be one day supporting the development of the MHST embedding its services with educational settings to providing 1-1 early intervention support to children and young people in Barnsley.
I enjoy long walks with my sausage dog "snoopy" and spending time with family and friends.

Hi, I’m Julie! I have been working in Administration for over 18 years and have worked in a variety of sectors. I feel immensely proud to be able to be part of this incredible service which is going to make such a difference to so many people’s lives. Outside of work I volunteer as a secretary for a local junior football club, I enjoy being busy venue dressing and event management, but I also love spending time with my family exploring new places, reading, crafting and motorsports.

Hi, My name is Kirstie. I am an administrator at Compass Be MHST. I have worked in several administration and secretarial positions previously. Three years ago, I was lucky enough to be offered a position working within a client focused setting which I quickly realised is the kind of work I want to be involved in. I am so excited to be part of this new service in Barnsley and being part of a team, which makes a difference. Outside of work I love spending time with my family, enjoying long walks, music and reading a good book.

Hi, I’m Chimene and I’m a Supervising Practitioner at Compass Be and I am passionate about working with and supporting our young people here in Barnsley.
My background is working as a nurse in paediatrics and special care baby unit. I then worked in mainstream, specialist behavioural settings and Pupil Referral Units working with Excluded and Home Educated young people for over 20yrs. I love to shop and be out in the sunshine.
I really enjoy my work, and having a fantastic team around me having everyone committed to making a positive impact on our children and young people’s lives.

Hi, I’m Jade. I completed a Childhood studies degree at the University of Huddersfield before working in a SEMH school in Barnsley for several years, supporting young people in the classroom and with their wellbeing. I have always had a passion for mental health and joining a mental health support team has been the best move I ever made. Outside of work, I love being outdoors, walking and spending time with family. I also like to make time to journal and meditate and my idea of a perfect self-care evening is watching a good film with a huge cup of tea and plenty of biscuits.

Hello, my name is Sarah. I have a background in Psychology, and I have previously worked as a Primary School Teacher. I was really excited to hear about the new role of Education Mental Health Practitioner and joined the Leeds Mental Health Support Team as a trainee in 2020. Setting up a new service and attending university during lock-down was a real learning experience and I look forward to using the skills and experience from my work with the Leeds Team to help develop the Barnsley Mental Health Support Team. I am passionate about early intervention mental health services and believe that working with schools to develop a whole school approach to positive mental health is key to reducing mental health stigma. I am a mum to two teenage boys and I love swimming and our active family holidays. We have a ginger cat called Honey, who is very noisy. She knows exactly what she wants and how to get it!

My role within Compass Be is to support families with low level mental health needs within the Barnsley borough. Throughout my career I have always worked in the community with families for 15 years. My previous role has been an advocate for young people with learning disabilities, family support in a school for children with social, emotional mental health (SEMH). I really enjoy working with families to enable them to make positive changes to improve everyone’s mental wellbeing.

Hi, I’m Shaun. After completing my Degree at Sheffield University I became a Youth Worker in Leeds before becoming a Family Support Worker here in Barnsley, supporting young people and their families with their wellbeing. Recently I undertook a Postgraduate Diploma which has enabled me to join Compass Be as an Educational Mental Health Practitioner and I am looking forward to supporting children and young people with their mental health. Outside of work I like keeping fit, spending time with family and eating out hence the keep fit bit. I love being outdoors and travelling.

Hi, I’m Lisa. I am new to the Compass Be team, but have worked with children, young people, and families for many years based in Barnsley Family Centres. As a Family Support Worker, I was fortunate enough to achieve a Postgraduate Diploma in ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for Children & Young People’ (CYP IAPT). This diploma totally inspired me to take a leap of faith and apply for a new role as Education Mental Health Practitioner here at Compass Be as I am passionate about supporting children and young people to improve mental health and wellbeing.
I am a mum of two (a teen and a young adult) who wouldn’t mind me sharing that they have had their fair share of struggles growing up and unfortunately there was very little education in schools and settings to promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing. Hence, why I am so happy that I can now play a part in other children and young people’s journey and work together with schools to deliver 1:1 and group interventions to make a positive difference.
In my down time, I love to attend festivals and gigs, keeping up with latest interior design trends and forcing myself to the gym…

Hi! I’m Paige. I have a background in Psychology, and I have spent the past 4 years working with young people to help support them with their mental health. I really enjoy working with children and young people and I feel very passionate about speaking out about mental health and supporting others with this. Outside of work I enjoy reading, travelling and going to the gym. More often than not you can find me out walking on the weekends with my two fur babies, Ziggy and Winnie.

Hi! I’m Tracy and I’m a mental health practitioner for Compass Be. I have worked with children and families for over 15 years and have taken part in many training opportunities to develop my practice. I have always been interested in how our minds work and my passion is helping others use strategies and techniques to support their mental health. In my spare time I like to take my cocker spaniel, Millie, for a walk in the local park and woodlands and see my friends and family.

Hi, I’m Courtney. I have recently joined Compass Be after working within Barnsley Family centres for over 10 years supporting children, young people and families, which I loved. First as an outreach worker and then as family support providing support 1:1 and delivering groups. In 2018, I was given the opportunity to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for Children & Young People’ (CYP IAPT). The course ignited a new spark and passion within me, and it became my mission to use the knowledge and skills I had learnt and put it into practice. Joining Compass Be for me, was about going straight to the source, by helping children and young people learn to understand and support their own mental health and wellbeing would; in my eyes, ultimately contribute to a better future for the people of Barnsley. Outside of work, I spend time with my family and friends socialising, going for walks or binge watching a good TV series. I’m also a big advocate for self-care and for me that means listening to music or audiobooks, giving myself a little pamper session, cooking etc.

Hi, I'm Lauren! I've always loved working in schools with young people but I knew I loved more than just the education and teaching side as I have a huge passion for helping young people emotionally and supporting their mental wellbeing. I have always been known as the 'agony aunt' in my friendship group because I love helping people, and in my free time I love to be with friends and family, walk my beautiful Cocker Spaniel puppy, cook, go on holidays and go shopping!

I love meeting new people and working as part of a team to positively impact the lives of young people. I have a psychology degree and my background is working with young people in hospitals, education and residential homes. I love working closely with schools in Barnsley to improve mental health and well-being. My interests are skincare, makeup and all that good stuff. In my spare time I love eating at restaurants and keeping active at the gym.

Hi, I’m Emma, I have joined Compass Be as an AEMHP. I have worked across Barnsley for a number of years in a variety of educational and community settings. I have experience of establishing, coordinating and delivering social & emotional work in Barnsley schools and community settings and have experience of delivering creative arts-based projects across the borough too. I am excited to have joined the Compass Be team to further develop my knowledge and skills to ensure the best support is available for children and young people in Barnsley. Through my role I want to ensure that there is support in place for children and young people to access early intervention and preventative support for emotional and mental health wellbeing issues and the right support for their mental health needs. I believe that every child and young person is unique and can reach their full potential with the right support. When I’m not working with the Compass Be team, I enjoy the gym and anything creative including singing, dancing, writing stories and poetry!

Hello, my name is Thompson or Tom for short. I have a degree in Sports Coaching Science and have spent some time coaching in schools. I have a passion for cinema, travel, basketball and sports in general. I have always had a fondness in mental health, and I am very grateful to have been chosen to be part of the Compass Be Team. I will be using my experience to engage and support as many young people as I can.

Hello, I’m Helen Scouller and I’m the Bereavement Counsellor.
I’ve spent all my career working with children, young people and families. Most recently in a Children’s Hospice: alongside using art and creativity to make memories and work therapeutically both in-House and in the Community, one to one and with families, I led groups to support bereaved youngsters.
I hope to work with everyone who needs our service in a way that means they feel valued and accepted because growing up and experiencing emotional difficulties is tough; I feel privileged to be a part of this inspiring and skilled team.
And…. I like to laugh.

I’m Jamie, (or JD) and I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a 30 year career involved in the music industry which has enabled me to travel the world and gifted me some incredible memories and life experiences. Although I’ve been studying Therapeutic Counselling since 2016, it wasn’t until the pandemic wiped out the music and arts industry in 2020 that I really started to focus all of my energies towards my current career path.
I became a full-time Counsellor for MIND, working with adults and also young people from 6-16 years of age, visiting many schools in the South Yorkshire area. This led to me being offered the new position of Specialist Bereavement Counsellor for Compass Be in 2022 and it’s great to be part of such a positive and forward-looking team.
Sober since 2006, I’m also passionate about and heavily involved in drug and alcohol recovery work. I’m a really active person, so if I’m not skateboarding, playing football, running or working out, then I love nothing more than hanging out with my family and going to gigs, playing records or watching films with them.

Hi I am Kirsty, Healthy Peer Relationship Practitioner. I am very excited to join Compass Be in this new role to work together with children and young people in the Barnsley area. I have worked in Special Education Needs educational settings for 7 years, with a background in behavioural, Special Educational Mental Health and family support. I have a keen interest in Adverse Childhood Experiences and using a Trauma Informed approach. I love to read, especially researching and understanding about child psychology and the development of the brain, but I also love a good fiction book. In my spare time I like to be outdoors, I like to go for long walks. I have a love for live music and festivals. I really enjoy the work I do and want to make a positive impact.