Creative Learning

Carolyn is a qualified social worker, a serial social entrepreneur, and experienced in implementing creative solutions to challenging problems in social care. As the author of The Layperson’s Guide to Good Mental Health: Your A-Z for a Happier Life, Carolyn has developed a framework for good mental health which she calls the 5 Cs – Character, Composure, Connection, Creativity and Challenge. Using this framework she has delivered community workshops and courses over the past 10 years, to support people working positively towards good mental health, emotional resilience and wellbeing. After 25 years experience working as a social worker, trainer, researcher and manager in local authority and voluntary sector services, she set up an independent arts and wellbeing venue in Portsmouth in 2007. Despite the impact of the economic recession that year, Carolyn kept the venue going for three years before it had to close. From her experience of this enterprise, and the network developed, Carolyn went on to co-found the Good Mental Health Cooperative in 2013, sharing her passion for promoting good mental health and wellbeing and challenging stigma, through community based projects, events and courses. Earlier this year, Carolyn was recognised as an Inspirational Woman in Health by Pamodzi Awards in Portsmouth. Carolyn has worked with local authorities, universities, charities and community groups on a range of innovative projects in social care. She also currently facilitates action learning sets for social entrepreneurs through Action Hampshire, and is a practice assessor for students training to be social workers, and qualified social workers in their first year of practice with Hampshire Adult Care.