Bristol, UK
Email: DMJoseph1712@gmail.com

Denise’s professional background is in mental health which she has been working in for 25 years in varied roles which include women’s services, adult community mental health services, prison services and more. Her journey began in the arts psychotherapies which is where she engaged in community work.

She has worked in both the voluntary sector and statutory services in social and health care which has meant that she has been able to hold both positions in her thinking and when with others.

She has worked in organizations using systems thinking and systems change which led her to train as a systemic psychotherapist. Her passion for relational work has deepened her interest in social change, environmental change, and the power of communication. Working in the organizational context has enabled her to work with policy makers to enact social change to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged and marginalized groups as well as improving working conditions for staff who are often passionate about their chosen professions.

Equality, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion plays a significant role in her professional and personal life. She has been part of many strategic groups to support improvement within organizations. She aligns herself with anti-oppressive practice and is learning more about liberation-based approaches.

She currently works for children and young people’s mental health services as a family therapist, and she teaches equality, diversity, and intersectionality in educational settings. She enjoys her work and profession and is inspired by families and their resilience.

She is a cis-gendered black woman, a parent, activist, and feminist. She enjoys being in and part of nature with ideas of decentering our anthropocentric discourses that have become harmful to our environment. She lives in a city where the civil rights movement is ever present and enjoys the ongoing conversations and meaning making to improve the community for all.