Our Counsellors Meet the members of our counsellors team
Carlie Marshall
Campaign Manager & Counsellor
Carlie has been working as a professional counsellor for many years and in different sectors. She has a 1st class BA Hons degree in person-centered counseling, where she helps people increase their capacity for self-awareness and growth. She also specializes in cognitive behavior therapy, which aids individuals in changing patterns of thinking or behavior.
Carlie works with both children and adults but prefers to work with children because she believes she can address the root causes of issues early on, preventing them from carrying negative emotions throughout their lives. Carlie joined our team in 2024, and Little Lives UK benefits from her expertise, allowing us to provide free therapy sessions for children in schools.
Merete Davis
and Young People Counsellor
With nearly twenty years of experience, Merete has worked extensively as a school counsellor in infant, primary, and secondary schools. Her areas of expertise include bereavement, neurodiversity, anger management, suicidal thoughts, self-esteem, and anxiety.
Merete employs creative techniques, utilizing play therapy skills when working with younger children. In a confidential, safe, and supportive environment, Merete helps children and young people address their worries and develop coping strategies to manage their behavior in school. Recognizing that each child has a unique communication style, she emphasizes the importance of play in her therapeutic approach. Merete finds great satisfaction in witnessing children enjoy their sessions and gain increased self-confidence.
Sarah Walker
and Young People Counsellor
Sarah builds strong relationships with children at the heart of her work. She uses creative techniques like puppetry, painting, sand play, storytelling, music, and movement to help children explore their feelings and thoughts. For adolescents, some enjoy this creative style, while others benefit from talking therapy.
With a warm and playful approach, backed by solid theoretical knowledge, Sarah has supported children through a range of challenges, including anxiety, stress, anger, low self-esteem, depression, grief, bullying, abuse, and family difficulties. Her goal is to provide a safe space to enable children to explore their feelings, thoughts and inner world.
Meggie Hannam
and Young People Counsellor
Meggie has been working as a counsellor for a number of years offering humanistic and person centred counselling to both adults and children with varied needs She has a BA/BSc honours degree in Psychology, however her passion has always been in working with children.
Meggie believes that in engaging with children as early as we can and offering therapeutic intervention to those that need it, we can make a real difference to how these children develop, avoiding any developmental delays and equipping them with tools and skills to prepare them for a healthy adult life. Meggie likes to work creatively through play, arts and crafts, using different counselling approaches to fit the needs of the individual child.
Jane Cassidy
and Young People Counsellor
Jane is a therapeutic counsellor who works with children and young people in schools and has gained experience through various charities.
She enjoys collaborating with students to help them build confidence and overcome challenges. Outside of work, Jane loves spending time outdoors, exploring the beaches and countryside.
Aneta Bugajna
and Young People Counsellor
Aneta is a Little Lives UK counsellor. Her approach is humanistic integrative, and when working with young people, she uses creative tools such as drawing, painting stones, making masks, or playing games to help them express themselves and feel more at ease.
Her passion for supporting others comes from her own experiences of not always feeling heard or understood as a young person. She finds it incredibly rewarding to help children and young people feel seen, valued, and accepted for who they are.
Outside of work, she lives in Bournemouth with her twin daughters. They love movie nights, playing board games, listening to music, and staying active.
Stephanie Grouas
and Young People Counsellor
Stephanie is a counsellor based in London who works with children and young people in schools, offering a calm, caring, and creative space where they can feel safe to explore their thoughts and feelings.
She works in a gentle and person-centred way, using play, art, and storytelling to help children express themselves and make sense of their experiences. Stephanie is deeply committed to making emotional support accessible to every child, believing that no young person should have to face life’s challenges alone.
She finds it incredibly rewarding to support children as they begin to discover their voice, build confidence, and feel more settled within themselves. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Sara Bailley
and Young People Counsellor
Sara is a person-centred integrative counsellor working with children, young people, and adults in schools and private practice. She specialises in bereavement, neurodivergence, trauma, and eating disorders. Drawing from her extensive experience in SEN provisions and her own lived experience, Sara is passionate about helping young people develop the strategies and resilience needed to navigate the world and understand themselves. She believes every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential.
In her sessions, Sara uses a creative blend of play, storytelling, and talk therapy to ensure each person feels seen and heard. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking with her family, wild swimming, and relaxing by a firepit.
Francesca Hall
and Young People Counsellor
Francesca works integratively and enjoys using play, creativity, and sparkly things in her work with children. She is passionate and committed to supporting young people to find ways of gaining confidence, dealing with challenges, and using the arts safely and imaginatively to do that. Francesca enjoys music, the outdoors, yoga, and walking by the sea.