Lorraine is the Clinic Manager at Growing Hope Maidstone. She has a Masters from the University of Roehampton in psychodynamic Music Therapy and has since worked with both adults and children in a freelance capacity, specialising in mental health and trauma and also working with additional needs. She has worked across a range of therapeutic approaches, depending on the needs of the client, including trauma-informed, psychodynamic and person-centred approaches. She has a passion for using creativity and specifically music to create a safe, therapeutic environment in which to build connection and to support clients towards their goals.
Nicky McKeon is our Independent Speech and Language Therapist volunteer. Having established a successful career in Commercial Marketing and becoming a full time mother, she became interested in supporting children in Early Years. This was both at pre-school level and then within a primary school setting. Now as a qualified therapist with teenagers of her own, she can reflect on the importance of supporting child development through those crucial early years and how essential it is to make this an accessible and enjoyable experience for all. Nicky loves working with families to achieve functional goals that can make a difference in everyday life.
Kimberley Wade is our Freelance Speech and Language Therapist. She has a Masters in Language Pathology from Newcastle University and has been working as a Speech and Language Therapist within the NHS for 13 years. She has specialised in supporting children with complex needs, including children with cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, Dysphagia, Autism and ADHD. Kimberley loves to work with children and support families in engaging and creative ways to enable their child to develop functional communication skills.
Abi Byrne is a Freelance Art Therapist with over 15 years of providing Art Therapy to children and young people. She is passionate about offering a safe and creative space for children with additional needs to be seen, heard and valued. She believes that art making can provide a way to express feelings, support communication, empower the child and connect with others to enhance emotional wellbeing and personal growth.
Marion is our volunteer Drawing, Talking & Sandplay Practitioner. Marion initially joined Growing Hope as a Trustee when the Maidstone Clinic was launched in 2024 and volunteered for nearly two years as a clinic assistant. Marion has 16 years’ experience of teaching in a state special school for children with special educational needs and disabilities where she worked closely with the visiting therapists. Marion qualified as an Advanced Drawing & Talking Practitioner (which includes Sandplay) in 2016 and has voluntarily been running sessions for children in a mainstream primary school since then. She also has qualifications in counselling children and therapeutic play. Marion is passionate about using her background in creative crafts to encourage children to explore and process their emotions and to develop their interests and abilities through playing and experiencing different types of media and sensory processes – she loves a creative mess!
David has a background in not-for-profit and charity finance and grant applications working across a range of industries - health and social care, sports and international charity work. David is passionate about playing a part in helping those with additional needs to enable them to achieve their goals.
Ann Fagg is our Freelance Clinic Administrator. She has a healthcare background and outside of her work with Growing Hope, she volunteers to provide administrative support for safeguarding processes at the church she attends. Ann loves admin and communicating with people. The best part of her role is talking to and supporting the families of children with additional needs by providing them with the information they need to get the most out of the services Growing Hope Maidstone offers.
Bebe is our Clinic Assistant. Bebe has a nursing background. She has experience working with children on the wards during her nursing career and also more recently in volunteering her time at a play group for pre-schoolers. Bebe is passionate about the work of Growing Hope Maidstone and using her gifts and skills to support our therapists and families in clinic.
Becky has 21 years' experience working within the criminal justice system, including roles with the Crown Prosecution Service and as an Operations Manager for a charity providing trauma-informed support to victims of crime, including vulnerable victims, children, and young people. Becky also has many years of lived experience supporting individuals with special educational needs, including autism, ADHD, and situational mutism, as well as mental health conditions such as OCD and anxiety. Becky is passionate about ensuring that children, young people, and their families receive the support they need and deserve in order to thrive.
