We became member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) in April 2023, this means we are committed to providing safe, ethical and professional counselling services for our clients and all our work reflects their values and ethics.
The founder, Gemma, assisted by Kay, was inspired to start this charity after a traumatic event that happened to a close family member.
Realising that there was very little support tailored to the person affected and non at all for those around her that also suffered, Aura was born. The realisation of that ripple effect throughout the family that turns lives upside down was the drive needed to create the organisation to do just this.
Aura offer emotional support to anyone affected by changes within their lives that have a negative impact on their mental health.
Kay and Gemma both have passion for supporting people, alongside a vast knowledge and experience of working with mental health. Having the lived experience has only enhanced that drive that passion to ensure Aura is able to give support to the community, be a fluid and growing organisation that listens to its clients.
Kay is a qualified counsellor with many years’ experience in a therapeutic role, supporting men, women and children through life changing events.
All our passion and knowledge is now behind making Aura a charity for everyone who experiences the emotions behind all the things that life throws at us.
Together we will learn new ways to overcome the obstacles that get thrown our way and live the life we deserve, moving forever forward.
My name is Gemma, the founder of Aura. I am 33, married to Matthew and have 3 beautiful children, who keep me very busy.
I have been through some challenging times but like to think that these have made me a stronger person more caring and considerate to others and acknowledge we are all riding these choppy waters together.
In the past I worked in a medium sized charity for 6 years and this has given me the knowledge I had to start Aura and the realisation of how much of a positive impact therapeutic support can have on people lives, it really is amazing.
It really opened my eyes in 2020 when a very close relative to me sadly lost her baby at 24 weeks pregnant, the realisation that there was no support service out there for her and the close family and friends it had also affected. I also learnt that when a life change happens it doesn’t just have a negative impact on the person directly affected but also close family and friends too. And this is where Aura was born.
I am an out going person who loves to be outdoors, spending time with family and friends making memories. In my spare time I like to go to the gym, see friends and visit the seaside.
My past qualifications, experience and love to support others as well as watching others thrive at life is the drive I need to help Aura succeed in our aims. I have many wild and wonderful ideas that with the help of our amazing volunteers we will make them happen and reach as many people as possible.
My name is Kay, I am 59 years old, a divorced Mum to 2 lovely adults and a Nan to 3 gorgeous little people.
Personally, I know that life can change in an instant and you can find yourself in situations that you never imagined. At my age, you may guess it has happened to me many times!!
My jobs have been varied, working in retail for many years gave me a taste of customer service, working to time pressure, planning and problem solving. Becoming a counsellor and being a mature student was an experience I loved. I spent many years working and volunteering with a local charity where I gained invaluable knowledge and experiences.
At present I am a counsellor accredited with the British Association on Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) volunteering for Aura and running a busy private practice. I also work in the family business, selling bathrooms and kitchens. As you can see, I relish a challenge.
In any free time I have, I love spending time with my family and friends, walking, reading, going to the gym and holidays.
My background, qualifications, experience and passion for supporting others means that I am well placed to support Aura to reach its goals, both by offering my counselling support and business management background to assist in the running of the organisation.
I am 53 years old and a Web Onboarding Specialist for a company called Click Dealer, I have quite a lot of responsibility in my position, but I still seem to be someone that people reach out to when they have a problem either workwise or personal. I am a divorced mother of 4 men age between 33 and 25, my youngest son Oliver has mental disabilities and although he has grown into the most wonderful young man he still has a lot of issues that we deal with on a daily basis, this has taught me how to be extremely patient, not all the time, but most of the time. I also have my 2 eldest grandsons, who are 13 and 16, living with me which is a long story also, but as you can imagine I have been through and deal with a lot of issues on a daily basis. I hope some of my experience shows in my role with Aura.
Having worked for over 40 years in the Financial Services Industry, I feel I am well placed be a trustee of Aura. My career in finance started in 1978 when I joined North West Securities (part of Bank of Scotland) as Receptionist Cashier, I progressed to Branch Manager Admin, I then moved to GE Capital as Administration Manager, before moving to Jigsaw Finance as Director of Operations, then Corporate Manager. I took semi retirement this year and now work 3 days a week as a Corporate Specialist. I have been married to David for 40 years . I was delighted to be asked to be a Trustee of Aura, as having life experience I recognise how important it is to mental health to establish an organisation like Aura. Particularly in the current climate since Covid, changes in work and life balance has certainly had its highs and lows. I know from first hand experience, how things can change, which have a negative effect.
In addition having experienced bereavement of close family and friends , I know it is so easy to get lost in your feelings and struggle alone. It is hard to talk when everyone one around you is grieving too and to get back to what now will be the norm. This was particularly relevant when my niece went through the loss of her baby, we all wanted to be there for her and support her, but, it was clear she needed someone with no emotional link to talk to to guide her through this difficult time. Aura offers that go to place, they will welcome you, hold your hand, listen to you and offer guidance to deal with your emotions and get you to a better place.
My journey with Aura started in 2024 when I was referred to them by a Social Prescriber. At this point, I had already had counselling through my previous employer and Talking Therapies and was in the position where I still needed to work through the mental health challenges that I was facing.
Fast forward 16 weeks of counselling with Aura and I finally felt like I had come out the other side. Whilst I still had lots to understand about my experiences of the previous few years, I felt that I had the tools to tackle them which was a priceless feeling.
At my final session, I broached the idea of doing some voluntary work with Aura as a way of paying back everything that they had done for me…I had just finished working for a small charity as a Business Manager so felt I could offer something back. So instead of coming for counselling the next week, I came to volunteer! As I had had a long period of absence from work due to mental health challenges, this was a massive step for me, but I have loved every minute of the time I have spent with them. Fast forward (again!) and I was ready to go back to paid work and was very excited when Aura asked me if I would consider becoming a Trustee. This meant that I could continue making a difference to the charity and to the people that are needing the support that I once did – winner winner!
So a little about me personally! I live in Congleton (though am soon hopefully moving to Scholar Green). I have 2 grown up daughters who have grown up to be gorgeous human beings; I also have 2 dogs and 3 cats. Cats (especially feral cats) are my absolute passion and I am hoping to start fostering cats and kittens when I move house. I also play in a concert band which is fantastic for my mental health – we play all sorts of different types of music and even go on tour every other summer.
I very much hope that you can see my passion for Aura and that I will be able to make a positive contribution to the charity going forwards.
When someone shouts up and asks for professional help, it’s often something they need sooner rather than later – yet there can be a long wait for support, particularly outside of a ‘private health’ setting. This is where charities, such as Aura, play such a crucial role in being able to provide support and a place to turn to.
I have been fortunate enough to work with a range of charities and community groups in my career – albeit from the other side, working for for-profit companies and their charitable arm. This work opened my eyes to the vital services that local charities provide to people in desperate need – with the work often unrecognised and unknown outside of the groups affected and those working in that sector.
Helen asked me along to Aura’s AGM in 2022 to see how money that Click Dealer’s team had donated had helped the charity. When I attended that first meeting and heard about the incredible work Aura was doing and the impact they were having, it really resonated with me and I wanted to do what I could to support the charity and help them grow.
In my day-to-day role I am a Marketing Manager, which comes with lots of transferable skills and knowledge that I can use to support Aura and their exciting plans for the future. I started volunteering for the charity at the start of 2023 and was honoured to subsequently be asked to be a Trustee! My professional skills, combined with my experience with funding and desire to help people, puts me in good stead for helping Aura.
