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About me

Me as a student 

As a student I struggled to understand the reason for the many academic rules that I was taught. I did not see how academic writing was different to informal writing; surely as long as I got the information to the reader, that was the only thing that mattered? Naturally I struggled through my first few years until I got a lovely university tutor who explained things to me in a way that made sense. I finally started to understand why these skills were important, which  helped me to reach my full potential (despite many not thinking I was capable) and I finished my degree. 

My academic background

I got my BSc in psychology in Australia, which is where I grew up. I then moved to England and worked in multiple positions with children and young people, including working as a foster carer, in schools, as an assistant psychologist and finally, a university lecturer. Between all this, I managed to get a 1st class MSc in psychology. I am a huge animal person and grew up in rural Australia with all sorts of animals including pet birds, turtles, cows, horses, fish etc. I always wanted to bring my two passions together (animals and psychology) so specialised in Animal assisted interventions, an area in which I am very passionate. 

I have taught psychology, animal behaviour, welfare and health as well as study skills, statistics and basic biology as well as having created an online study platform for one of the universities where I lectured. 

Although in my early 30's, I have been working as an academic lecturer for the past 7 years as a specialist in animal and human behaviour, study skills/academic skills and animal assisted interventions. Whilst I love working in front of the classroom, teaching a large group of students, I also love working with individuals to build their skills and self-belief. 

My working background

I have worked in several different universities, teaching levels 3, 4, 5 and 6, and even providing guest lectures for MSc students. I have always focussed on Animal assisted interventions (think pets in hospitals) so am confident with animal and human behaviour, child psychology, learning theories, animal welfare and the use of animals as therapeutic partners. 

In all of my roles I have focussed on academic/study skills and supporting students' understanding of these key expectations. I have learnt to love things like referencing (APA style), formatting documents, academic writing and finding the right journal to help support a point. Academic skills is something I have found is a key area of concern across all levels, grades and degrees, for both students and staff and is a key passion of mine. With such a variety of learners, lecturers and skills, it is not surprising that so many students struggle to understand these expectations. Over the years I have learnt to teach flexibly and use some unorthodox methods (often involving getting my students to pretend to be someone famous), including methods aimed at students with additional learning needs, neurodivergence, physical disabilities and international students. 

I love working with people from all kinds of backgrounds but even more so, I love helping students realise that they are far more capable than they believe. Learning to have faith in yourself should be taught everywhere so, I hope to help in anyway I can. Sometimes we all need a little helping hand and that is what I am here for.