Experience
Fifteen years of lived experience work in schools and pastoral settings.
Self-harm interventions
Five years running school-based self-harm interventions as an NHS contractor, with measurable reductions in incidents and stronger pastoral relationships.
PSHE and pastoral support
Assemblies, year-group sessions and small-group work across anxiety, resilience and identity. Built around the actual questions pupils are asking.
Staff INSET days
Sessions for teachers and pastoral teams on spotting signs, having the conversation, and looking after their own mental health in demanding roles.
Safeguarding is treated as a precondition, not a footnote.
DBS
Enhanced DBS on record.
Certificate shared with the school safeguarding lead before any on-site work. Updated on the statutory cycle.
Supervision
Clinical supervision throughout.
Dave works under ongoing clinical supervision informed by his NHS contractor years, so difficult sessions are reflected on and debriefed properly.
Disclosures
Clear disclosure handling.
Any safeguarding disclosure during a session is handed to your DSL via your school's own process. Dave does not hold disclosures outside that chain.
Session types
From assemblies to small-group work and parent evenings.
Assembly
Whole year-group or whole-school assemblies on resilience, anxiety and lived experience. Warm, honest, age-appropriate.
Small group work
Focused sessions with targeted pupil cohorts, delivered alongside the safeguarding lead. Used for self-harm intervention work.
Staff INSET
Professional development for teaching and pastoral staff. Practical frameworks for conversations with pupils and colleagues.
Parent evening
Evening sessions for parents and carers on supporting a child's mental health at home, with practical language they can use.
Testimonials
What clients say after the room quietens down.
“What struck me was how natural and confident Dave is on stage, and how openly he talks about his own struggles. He lets the emotion show, and that's what makes it hit. I left with genuine advice and insight, not just a good talk.”
Matthew Booth
Attendee, An Evening on Stress, Identity & Finding Yourself
“I didn't expect for it to resonate so deeply with my own thoughts and experiences. I left with plenty to ponder and very keen to learn more about myself, with Dave's guidance.”
Dave V
Attendee, An Evening on Stress, Identity & Finding Yourself
Schools Dave has already worked with.
- Penwortham Girls' High School, Preston
- Upholland High School, Lancashire
- Albany Academy, Chorley
- Ormskirk School, Ormskirk
- Shaftesbury High School, Chorley
- St Cecilia's RC High School, Longridge
- Burscough Priory Academy, Burscough
Book Dave
Bring Dave into your school.
Share the year group, the brief, and whether it is pupil-facing or staff-facing. Dave will shape the session around what you need.