TONI TALKS PSYCHOLOGY

Nothing more than a forty-something BSc (Hons) and MRes Psychology graduate from the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, currently navigating her way through her PhD journey. 

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My background is diverse, and I bring to the table a lived understanding of Domestic Abuse, childhood trauma, PTSD, and Autism Spectrum Condition, along with the lived reality of poverty, and surviving as a fully independent parent (I may go into this later) to three now adult children, two of whom are diagnosed as neurodiverse, and all three of which suffer from mental health issues as a result of the domestic abuse they witnessed as children which was further impacted by their fathers alcohol addiction.

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I began my Psychology journey at 40 years old, after having a mental health crisis that made it impossible to continue working with the general public as a Building Society counter clerk, but with a mortgage that still needed to be paid I did the sums and discovered a student loan would keep me ticking over whilst I worked on getting myself well enough to work again.

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However, as I progressed through my Psychology foundation year, I discovered that I had a bit of a flair for stats and analysis, and as my understanding of psychology grew, so did my love for it, and after four years of healing, loss, a diagnosis of autism,  and a global pandemic I found myself graduating with 1st class honours. I followed this by graduating with a Master’s of Research Psychology with distinction 1 year later, having also successfully been accepted to study a PhD that investigates barriers to employment for individuals with a learning disability, with a full studentship including a monthly stipend. A life that could not have been further from my existence before my mental health crisis in 2017.