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Freelance academic

Dr Sandy Walker, PhD, BSc, RMN, Dip.mus, Dip NLP, IMF, PCAP, PGDip

I have been a professional in the arena of mental health since 1989. In 2009 I founded Sanity Books, when I was driven to do something positive to address the issues I saw surrounding mental health in children. The Sanity Company was founded in March 2011
As the Sanity Company grows it's mandate is clear, mental health matters!

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Biography

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Whilst I have avoided working directly with children in mental healthcare, I have raised 4 wonderful children (now all grown up) and lots of step-children so I have gathered a plethora of experience in dealing with child development and young people’s wellbeing.

Throughout my career I have consistently worked towards improving the landscape of mental health care for the people receiving and delivering care within it. For the past 7 years I have been working as a Lecturer in Mental Health with a special interest in creative and community approaches to mental distress.

My clinical and published expertise covers the areas of:

  • Emergency mental healthcare;

  • Self-harm and suicide;

  • Network use in self-management in mental health;

  • Clinical decision making and risk assessment;

  • The role of the arts in healthcare (Health Humanities)

  • and mental wellbeing within communities.

I have been in clinical practice for 30 years as a Registered Mental Health Nurse from staff nurse to Modern Matron.

My areas of clinical practice include:

  • Acute mental health;

  • Older person’s mental health;

  • Substance misuse;

  • Acquired brain injury;

  • Forensic psychiatry;

  • Rehabilitation and

  • Liaison psychiatry.

I am Co-Founder director of the Good Mental Health Cooperative (GMHC) which aims to

  1. Provide volunteering and training / development opportunities for people recovering from mental ill-health and emotional distress.

  2. To create opportunities for the voices of those with mental health issues to be aired and heard.

  3. To campaign for better public understanding of good mental health through courses, workshops, publications, print and on-line media and broadcasting opportunities.

  4. To support health and social care staff working with vulnerable people to better understand how to build mental resilience and emotional health, both for themselves and for those they work with.

I have always been innovative in practice and several of my initiatives have been showcased on national websites as examples of best practice eg NICE and Wessex Academic Health Science network.

I have often, clinically, as a leader and as a lecturer, been called inspirational particularly because of the way I have dealt with barriers to dealing with distress both within the NHS and in the community.

The ability to keep the person in need at the centre of the work is key to this as providing environments and atmospheres that promote compassionate care are best for both patients and clinicians.

Helping others to develop is one of the most enjoyable things I have discovered throughout my career whether they be patients, student nurses, GPs, university students, members of staff, young people etc….

I am a member of the International Health Humanities Advisory Board and a Fellow of the Health Education Academy.

I was nominated for a Doctoral College Directors Award in 2016 and have received a Vice Chancellors award for education, 2013, and an award for academic excellence from the previous Dean of the Faculty 2015.

In 2016 I was nominated, and runner up, for a Doctoral College award for Engagement and Outreach.

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