Richard Daniel Curtis.

CEO, Tick Accreditation & The Root Of It

Richard comes from a background in mental health nursing and teaching. He set up The Root Of It in 2013 to provide consultancy and training in the sector. The team run the Mental Health Awareness Programme, a suite of training programmes designed to ensure that staff in any organisation have access to mental health awareness.

The team also run The Mentoring School, delivering qualifications and courses for mentors in different sectors. Richard is chair of the National Special Educational Needs and Disability Awards. His specialist interest is in the development of social and emotional skills and the impact on mental health.

He is a single parent to two young children.

Emma Mills

Mental Wellbeing Co-ordinator, Southend City Council

Emma Mills is State-registered Art Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Teacher with extensive experience in child and adolescent mental health in the NHS, Women’s Aid (refuges and outreach centres), community projects, local authority teams, schools and as a private practitioner.

She lectures at Goldsmiths College on the Domestic Violence MA and currently runs a community mental health project for her local authority and the Arts Charity Metal.

Lauren Vickery

Founder & Psychotherapist, Therapy Tribe Psychotherapy
Lead Psychotherapist & Co-Lead, Tackle Suicide

Lauren Vickery is a qualified psychotherapist in private practice working with adults, adolescents, and professional athletes. She specialises in trauma, somatic therapies, addiction, and neurodiversity, integrating relational and body-based approaches into her work. She also has a keen interest in neuroscience and its impacts on well-being.

Lauren is also the Non-Executive Director and Lead Psychotherapist for Tackle Suicide, a global suicide prevention initiative supporting the mental health and well-being of professional athletes worldwide.

Claire Giraud

Senior Public Health Practitioner, The City of London and Hackney; The Bridge Watch Programme

Claire has pioneered innovative work in public health and suicide prevention, influencing best practice both nationally and internationally. She led City and Hackney to become the first local authorities to sign Public Health England’s Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health, with their approach now used as a model by other councils. Her initiatives include mental health and suicide prevention training for barbers, membership of the Tidal Thames Water Safety Forum, and helping establish the Bridge Watch programme, which supports people in crisis on City bridges.