Olivia Hayes Children’s and Young People’s Emotional Well-being Practitioner on how Empathy Shapes Inclusive Practice at ABL
When Olivia Hayes steps into a classroom of Year Six pupils, she carries more than a stack of resources and a PowerPoint deck. She carries a belief that empathy and listening have the power to change lives.
Olivia, a Children’s and Young People’s Emotional Well-being Practitioner at ABL Health, helps young people navigate some of their most vulnerable moments. From stress and anxiety around school transitions to friendship struggles, these are not small concerns in the lives of ten and eleven year olds. For many, they’re everything.
“If a young person I’ve spoken to leaves a session thinking, ‘Yes, I’d speak to someone again,’ then I know I’ve made a difference.”
A Journey Grounded in Youth Voice
Olivia’s path into mental health work began early. At just 16, she started volunteering with a local non-profit in Nottinghamshire, collecting young people’s experiences of mental health services and presenting them to NHS decision makers.
“I called myself a bit of a young person translator,” she laughs. “I was collecting their views and turning them into reports that went straight to commissioners. We were standing up in front of people in power saying, ‘This is what needs to change.’”
Those moments ignited a lifelong commitment to amplifying young voices and taught her the transformative power of being heard.
From there, Olivia’s career wound through roles supporting young people on waiting lists for further mental health support, work in a special educational needs school, and now ABL, where she’s found her professional home.
When Listening Matters Most
Olivia remembers the first time she ran a one-to-one wellbeing session.
“It was so nervous,” she admits. “I felt like I had to have all the answers. But I realised very quickly, I didn’t need to fix everything. What the session attendees really wanted was for me to listen to them and to care about what they were saying.”
That realisation underpins everything she does. Mental health, she says, is deeply personal and when someone chooses to share their struggles, how you respond can make the difference between silence and seeking out the help they need.
“If you’re not met with empathy, why should you talk about what is worrying you? Why should you try to take steps to make things better if nobody seems to support you to get there?”
Whether working with clients, Olivia meets them where they are. “A child’s playground falling out might not seem like a big deal to an adult,” she explains, “but in their world, it is a big deal. That perspective matters.”
Co-Production and the Power of Inclusive Design
Olivia brings her lived experience as a neurodiverse woman into the workshops she designs. Her sessions are interactive, accessible, and intentionally inclusive.
“I know what it’s like to sit through a wall of text on a PowerPoint and lose focus,” she says. “So I work hard to design sessions that are engaging with activities and discussions that bring everyone in.”
But inclusivity isn’t just something she builds for others. It’s something she builds with them.
Her team regularly goes back to groups of children who’ve attended their workshops, asking what they liked, what they remembered, and what they’d change.
“Even if they just say, ‘It was alright,’ if you dig deeper, there’s always something valuable in their feedback,” she explains.
The same principle applies with her colleagues. Olivia’s small team of four is part of a larger network, and collaboration is at the heart of how they refine their practice.
“Everyone brings a different lens — whether it’s accessibility, cultural perspective or professional expertise. I can’t cover everything myself, and that’s the point. None of us can.”
An Inclusive Culture That Walks the Talk
Olivia lights up when she talks about ABL’s culture. “If I need help, I can message anyone. There are no barriers. My managers might be busy, but they always make time to help me find what I need,” she says.
Her team shares knowledge openly using the full range of their skills to hone their practice, from dramatherapy to case discussions and peer supervision.
“It’s never just, ‘This is how we’re going to do it.’ It’s, ‘What do you think? How can we make it better?’”
Olivia acknowledges how ABL’s inclusive, collaborative culture has accelerated her growth.
“I never thought I’d learn so much so quickly,” she admits. “I feel supported and I’m also encouraged to stretch myself.”
Change and Growth
Looking ahead, Olivia’s vision of success isn’t just about climbing a career ladder, it’s about impact.
“Never be afraid to change, never be afraid to grow” she says.
She smiles as she recalls one of her proudest professional moments. “To see the Youth Impact Board I helped develop as a volunteer finally approved for launch is incredible. It’s the first paid involvement platform for young people in Nottingham NHS. That’s huge.”
“You’re Only Adding to It”
As the conversation draws to a close, Olivia circles back to the values that drive her work – empathy, inclusivity, and growth.
“Making things more accessible never takes anything away,” she says firmly. “You’re not excluding anyone by including more people. You’re only adding to it.”
Her words are simple, but their weight is clear. In a world where young people’s mental health has never been more critical, Olivia’s approach – listening deeply, adapting constantly and acting with heart – is exactly the kind of change that matters.
