ABOUT CHILDREN HEARD
Hi. My name is May.
I am a counselling and community psychologists with a passion for promoting children's voices in families, at school, and at a wider societal level.
I started Children Heard together with Dr. Gail Sinitsky at the beginning of the pandemic in an attempt to create a platform for children to share their own thoughts and experiences of this global event. The project continues to grow into new directions starting with social justice and racism. The stories children share with us will be used to create social justice awareness resources for children.
I belive that hearing children on the big issues facing our world is not only important for children's sense of belonging, but for society as a whole as we seek to grow, come together and mobilise towards positive social change.
I am particularly passionate about promoting the voices of children under 12 and have noticed that this is an age group that is often 'left out' in terms of participation work and research.
Children Heard is a non-profit initiative, ready to grow in new directions as we engage with children and hear their ideas. I am really keen to hear from children, families and like-minded others who wish to exchange ideas and join forces in creating more opportunities for children's voices to be heard.
Dr. May Lene Karlsen
Community Psychologist, Norway
May completed her doctorate in Counselling Psychology in 2010 and now works as a community psychologist in Norway. She has worked with children and families in different roles and has realised that many of the difficulties children face must be solved in the community rather than by children and families alone. She believes that society is suffering from a shortage of children’s voices – something special happens to decision-making processes when children are offered a seat around the table.
In addition to the therapeutic work more typically associated with psychologists, May has worked as a university lecturer, supervisor, clinical lead and service developer. Given some free time, she loves going to the café, alone or with others, to enjoy the buzz of community life over a cup of cappuccino.
