Profile

About the author...

Georgina Wakefield was born on 29th October 1947 and has lived in Grays in Essex since the age of 7. You could say she's been on both sides of the fence having been a both a mental health service user and a carer to her youngest son Christian who developed paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 15 he is now 36. Her father, Emanuelle Shinwell, was named after Lord Manny Shinwell who was his uncle. Her mother was Principal Fire Control Officer for the whole of Essex, before retiring.
Quote: I'm often asked why I chose this path, the answer is simple people who suffer from mental distress deserve our respect but sadly it's very thin on the ground, why? because we can't see it and we don't do anywhere  near enough to educate the public. When we made the decision to appear on National TV we knew that this was probably our one and only chance to educate a large number of people. We received 84 letters and e mails from people who thanked us for going public, living proof that many people do want to learn.
speaker profile
Business Profile by Bella Brodie [PR agent]
Georgina Wakefield is a media volunteer for Rethink and has helped them with many projects including their recent anti stigma campaign. Anyone who hears Georgie speak or reads her books cannot help be moved by her passion to improve services for all carers and users and raise awareness of some of the wider issues involved.
Georgina teaches on the 3 clinical short courses in the section of Mental Health Nursing, Institute of Psychiatry, providing both a carer and user perspective of recovering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. She is also an examiner for these three courses and runs workshops on the subject. She delivers presentations to a wide variety of audiences using a unique and very memorable delivery style which includes a mix of family experiences, poetry, statistics, information and training techniques.
Georgina also runs ‘Spotlight On Schizophrenia’, a management consultancy offering advice to Mental Health Carers and training to practitioners at all levels from “The Carers perspective.”
In addition to her work for the Institute Of Psychiatry, she works with several NHS Trusts and universities and has spoken publicly at many national conferences. Georgina has also undertaken consultancy work for the voluntary sector, eg Mind Rethink and MACA and Tom Dodd National Lead for Dual Diagnosis CSIP. She has also worked as a fellow for Carers Nimhe Eastern Region.
Often described as the Pam Ayres of mental health, she manages her own on going recovery through speaking and writing poetry about her experiences. She has written a number of books and alongside the family has been part of a BBC documentary on living with mental illness called "My Family Loving Christian". Georgina and her family have also taken part in seven other films highlighting the carer’s perspective and the benefits of Direct Payments.
Georgina has worked on many written articles for newspapers, newsletters and magazines eg: An Exploited Love, The Worst Night Of My Life, A Pool Of Ignorance, At Last I’ve Got My Son Back, Watching The Wakefield’s to name but a few and published by Mental Health Today, Community Care and Prima magazines She also contributes to many newsletters local papers .
Films
My Family Loving Christian: A 50 minute documentary film produced by the BBC.
Relative Values: Georgie and other carers discussing their lives and problems by Care Services In Partnership.
All In The Mind: an anti stigma film by Ilona Blythe [Student].
Christians Journey: by Tom Dodd Department Of Health.
Christians Story: the benefits of Direct Payments by Robin Murray-Neil Department Of Health.
Time To Change: by Rethink.
Awards Night: by Thurrock Council.
Media
Bibliography
Schizophrenia A Mothers Story ~ Five Pin Publishing [2002].
Addicts Language & A Life Of Dubious Virtue ~ Chipmunka Publishing [2003]
Schizophrenia Through The Maze [a book for carers] ~ Five Pin Publishing [2004].
Glimpses Of Life ~ Chipmunka Publishing [2009]
"Loving Christian Schizophrenia A Journey Of Discovery" This book is pending publication with PCCS Books Ross On Wye in August 2010.
Co Author to
Nomad 11 Survivors Poetry Scotland [2004].
Kith & Kin by Barry Tebb Sixties Press Publishing [2003].
Changing Minds produced by Royal College Of Psychiatrists Gaskell Publishing London [2003].
Caring For Someone With Mental Health Problems recently published by PCCS Books~ Ross On Wye [2009].
Awards
2003: Civic Award from Thurrock Council mental health work [nominated by mental health professionals, friends/family].
2004: Another Civic Award from Thurrock Council for further mental health work
2004: Investors In People Award : South Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust ~ input to staff training.
2005: ‘Spotlight On Schizophrenia’ was a finalist in the Thurrock Business Awards [lifelong learning category].
spotlightonschizophrenia@yahoo.co.uk
See testimonials under references section on this site
Georgina has been married to Paul since 1966 and has two sons, her youngest son Christian gave her the impetus to write her first book,
She continues to write and some of the poems from her books are available online to read. In addition to this, her books are available to purchase through the website. Accomplished in public speaking and training based on developing understanding of mental health and sharing practical tools for supporting people with mental illness. First hand experience of the SYSTEM and SOCIETY as both a service user and a carer is used to take people on a journey that enhances knowledge and develops understanding of the damage that stigma and ignorance causes. Quote : "Through storytelling and poetry, I aim to broaden understanding amongst society of the need to raise the profile of supporting people with mental illness and drug addiction. Helping professionals to balance their academic learning with experience of how it feels from the sufferer and carers perspective to assist the development of interpersonal skills, in particular humility and compassion".
March 7th 2010~ I have recently secured the funding from Novartis Pharmacueticals for a filmaker to cut and edit all 8 films in order to produce an educational DVD which will be free of charge and can be used to educate a variety of people including Mental Health Carers, the film is entitled "Loving Christian Just One Families Journey". I intend to contact my colleagues in the Mental Health arena to support me in distributing the film.