Welcome to
the full story.
​The Lived Lens was created from a simple belief: that every person has their own unique way of seeing the world, shaped by the lives they have lived. No two lenses are the same. Each has its own colours, its own focus, its own perspective.​​​​​
To honour these differences, The Lived Lens is built on values that put lived-experience first, celebrate human difference, and meet people exactly as they are.
The Lived Lens was shaped by seeing mental health from many sides — as learner, trainer, client, and therapist.
​​​​​Each role showed me something valuable, but also something missing. In mental health spaces, people are too often viewed as problems to be solved or conditions to be explained, forgetting the wholeness of the human being at the centre.
The Lived Lens exists
to offer something different=
​Intentional spaces shaped by lived-experience, creativity, and inclusivity.
At the core, The Lived Lens is about connection- connection to ourselves, to each other, and to the many different ways of being human. It is about creating spaces that affirm difference, invite curiosity, and remind us that healing and learning begin when we are truly seen, in all of our colours.
Values
Human connection
At the heart of everything we do is the belief that healing and learning begin in relationship. Whether in the therapy room or a training space, connection is what makes change possible.
Celebration of difference
We don’t see difference as something to fix, but as something to celebrate. Neurodivergence, queerness, culture, identity — every lived-lens brings value and deserves respect.
Accessibility & Inclusivity
Everyone should have access to spaces where they feel safe, welcomed, and understood. We are intentional about making therapy and training accessible and responsive to each person’s needs.
Proudly political
​We are proudly political in naming the systems that shape our lives — from inequality and oppression to the rise of harmful ideologies. Therapy & training will always be centred on your needs, but our values will never ignore the bigger picture that impacts us all.
Creativity
​
​There is no single way to heal, learn, or connect. We embrace creativity — through art, language, play, or new perspectives, as a way of making space for every kind of expression.
There's space for all emotions & ways of being in healing & learning spaces- come as you are.​
​
​
A bit more about me
I’m Hollie — the therapist, trainer, and human behind The Lived Lens.
​
I also love to write songs, paint, cycle, bake, & am obsessed with 80's music (honourable mention to my dog Ziggy, who sadly does not play guitar).
​
​​
​​My own experiences of neurodivergence have shaped how I see the world, reminding me that spaces should adapt to people, not the other way around.
​
I was drawn to person-centred therapy because it offered something so different to traditional mental-health care — acceptance, and a healing, non-clinical space where people can show up without expectation.
​
​​​​
The Lived Lens training arose from attending many mental-health trainings throughout my career, and feeling like they rarely captured people and their actual experiences.
​
This means in both therapy & training spaces, I get to learn about people from them, not a clinical-checklist, which will always feel like an honour.
​
What I can promise is to always show up as myself — not just the therapist or trainer, but Hollie. However we meet, I’ll bring warmth, curiosity, and care, and am excited to learn from & connect with each of you.
