Angela is passionate about equal access to mental health supports in the community.  At the start of Covid, she embarked on a degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling and graduated in 2024.  Previously Angela had worked for multinational companies in the area of Regulation and Compliance.  During her training as a psychotherapist Angela worked mainly in the area of bereavement support and counselling in community organizations.  Her research into early-stage bereavement counselling was published recently in Advances in Cognitive Science.  Angela loves working with people, hearing their stories and sharing experiences.  She has a dog and a cat and lives in the countryside where she enjoys hillwalking and the occasional parkrun.

Ciara worked on a community mental health team in the HSE as a peer support worker for 7 years. In this time, she supported many people on their recovery journeys. Ciara is passionate about creating safe, empowering spaces for those who experience human distress. She truly values the importance of connection and relationships in recovery and believes that the lived experience should be at the centre of everything we do in mental health. Ciara has a MSc in Mental Health from Trinity College Dublin where the focus of her research was peer support workers integration into mental health teams in Ireland.

Sarah has worked in community and not-for-profit organisations since 1996, with experience across community development, homelessness, refugee support, youth work and women’s services. Drawing on her own lived experience of mental distress, she is passionate about rights-based, trauma-informed and person-centred approaches, with a particular focus on peer support, connection, dignity and choice. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Youth & Community Studies, a Diploma in Social & Community Studies from UCC, a Postgraduate Award in Mental Health from TCD, and a Postgraduate qualification in CBT & Motivational Interviewing from SETU. She has also completed a Diploma in Gestalt Supervision and is a qualified yoga, movement and meditation teacher.

Kate began providing peer support with Sophia Housing, where she has been supporting women recovering from trauma and addiction. Her lived experience of navigating her own mental health challenges and supporting loved ones in crisis has fuelled a passion for creating safe spaces, where people can feel heard on their mental health journey. Kate believes in the power of empathy, compassion and open conversation. She holds a BA in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin, where she conducted research on various topics including – how sleep affects mood and attention, and also, parenting and mental health in refugee contexts.

Dominic has been engaging in mental health services from a very young age. In recent years, he has volunteered with Arches Recovery College which offers recovery education and services that are delivered by people with lived experience of mental health. Dominic provides a safe, compassionate, welcoming space. He listens in a non-judgemental way while people explore their difficulties. His intention is to support the people who visit Solace Café to progress on their recovery and wellbeing journeys.

Nicole has been a mental health advocate throughout her life and has previously volunteered with organisations such as Jigsaw, Mental Health Ireland, and Samaritans. Prior to the café, Nicole completed an undergrad in Psychology at NCI and a masters in Psychology and Wellbeing at DCU. Her most recent research was based on organisational stress, resilience, and the impact of COVID-19. Nicole has always had a passion to try and offer a safe place to listen to those who need to be heard. A sense of belonging and expressing empathy is a key part of her work.

Natasha is a Peer Connector with Solace Café in Waterford, drawing on over 25 years of lived experience of mental health difficulties, including psychosis, anxiety, depression and suicidal crisis. Her own experiences of mental health services, recovery and suicide bereavement have shaped her belief in the importance of being heard, understood and met with compassion rather than judgement. Alongside her role with Solace Café, Natasha works as an Online Peer Support Worker with Better Together, a Shine Ambassador and a HUGG Facilitator. She is passionate about using her lived experience to offer hope, connection and a sense that people don’t have to face difficult times alone. She takes a holistic approach to wellbeing and believes that recovery can look different for everyone.

Phyllis has a lifelong interest in supporting individuals to live their best lives and has worked in healthcare for many years. She firmly believes in recovery principles and knows from her lived experience that there is hope even in the darkest moments. Phyllis is a facilitator of the WRAP programme which supports individuals to foster good mental health using their own wellness tools. She has also been an advocate and facilitator with HUGG supporting persons bereaved by suicide. Phyllis believes that meaningful connection, mutual understanding compassion, and hope supports emotional healing and growth. She is a student of lifelong learning.