Meet the Team
Compassionate. Honest. Respectful. Collaborative. Non-Judgemental. Kind
We are really proud of our team. ACTS FAST has become well known for it's heart and person-centred approach to care. We might be professionals, but we really do care about each and every one of the families we help to support.
We're really proud of the work we do, who we have become, the challenges we've overcome and to be constantly learning, improving and developing who we are... to help shape what we do.
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Our Staff Team
CEO
Simone Gosden
Simone has worked in statutory and voluntary services for over twenty years. Both in client facing and management roles. Prior to ACTS FAST she worked as a senior manager for services supporting primary victims. Simone is passionate about supporting parents and family members impacted by sexual trauma. She believes by building a solid foundation we can support the whole family to recover and lessen the impact of trauma on the community.
Therapeutic Lead
Hannah James
Hannah is an experienced counsellor with an extensive background in trauma informed therapy along with working with families and children, both therapeutically and in a variety of different settings.
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Hannah facilitates the Brighter Futures groups, bringing together her gentle interpersonal approach along with a blend of therapeutic knowledge of trauma and its impact on the individual within their day to day life
Trauma Support Worker
Georgia Maxwell
Georgia has a Level 2 counselling qualification and previously worked within an organisation supporting primary victims of sexual violence. She has several years of experience volunteering on a helpline which provides emotional support for survivors of sexual abuse and mentoring other volunteers to do the same.
Clinical Lead
Vikki Taylor
Vikki is a qualified counsellor that has worked with both primary and secondary victims of sexual trauma for the past six years. Vikki has a wealth of experience and knowledge of counselling within the field of trauma.
Trauma Support Worker
Jo McClusky
Jo has years of experience volunteering on a helpline which supports primary victims of sexual trauma. She is also currently working towards Level 4 in counselling and an MSc in Health Psychology
Counsellor
Julie Cox
Julie is an experienced counsellor with an extensive background in trauma informed therapy along with working with adults, children and young people, therapeutically and in a variety of different settings. Julie has worked with both primary and secondary victims of sexual trauma for the past five years. .
Counsellor
Emma Holmes
Emma is a qualified counsellor with experience working with primary and secondary victims of sexual trauma. Emma has worked in a variety of settings with both young people and adults.
Our Trustee Team
As a small UK registered charity, we want to steward and handle all our resources in the best way possible. It is increasingly expensive and challenging to successfully operate as a UK charity, but we have a fantastic board of trustees who help us do just that.
Our current board of trustees:
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Simone Walls-Macdonald
Simone is a founding member of ACTS FAST and has been dedicated to the charity since it’s inception as a peer support group in 2012 and later working to achieve charitable status in 2014. In her professional role Simone works for the NHS and also holds a law degree with a special interest in Human Rights and Jurisprudence. She has always been active within her local community from organising toddler groups to reinstating her local Women’s Institute. Simone is a proud feminist with a strong sense of justice and challenging injustice. As a member of the board Simone ensures that ACTS FAST continues to develop with our clients voices at the centre of all we do..
Jill Suckling
Jill is a retired secondary school teacher and Career Development coach with qualifications in Executive and Management Coaching. She also worked in Social Care with young people who were disengaged from education, and volunteered with Suffolk Mind, before moving to Dorset, delivering their Early Minds programme in primary schools. This focuses on mental health and gives children a way to express and cope with their emotional needs. "I feel privileged to be a trustee of ACTS FAST, supporting them as the charity grows to meet the challenges families face through IIOC and CSA."
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Kerensa Butcher
Kerensa joined ACTS FAST as a trustee in January 2024. Kerensa spent 25 years with Thames Valley Police as a Public Protection Officer, managing registered sex offenders in the community; awarded a Commendation for her contribution to Public Protection and being nominated for Thames Valley Police Staff Member of the Year in 2022 for her outstanding contribution to Public Protection demonstrates her passion, enthusiasm and motivation for working hard to safeguard the most vulnerable in our communities. Kerensa works in private practice as a psychotherapeutic counsellor, supporting those who have been impacted by sexually harmful behaviours, so her varied expertise and knowledge is of tremendous benefit to ACTS FAST. .
Sarah Vile
Sarah has worked with victim/survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence since 2009 and has been a Trustee with ACTS FAST since January 2024. Sarah has an MA in Social Work, is a Town Councillor and is a member of Rotary Great Britain and Ireland's DVAP Domestic Abuse Against the Person Team which raises awareness of domestic abuse and encourages RGBI clubs to support local services. Sarah also trains professionals in how to respond to survivors in trauma-informed ways. Appointed Chair of Trustees in October 2025, Sarah says "I am excited and honoured to be continuing the excellent work of our previous Chair by supporting our CEO and senior management team with our next phase of development, and ensuring that strategically we are best placed to reach more clients and offer more support as we continue to expand our reach."
Michael Sheath
Michael Sheath qualified as a Social Worker and Probation Officer in 1988. He spent ten years working in the Probation Service in community and custodial settings, prior to joining The Lucy Faithfull Foundation in 1997. LFF is the only UK charity with a sole focus on eradicating child sexual abuse.
During his 25 year tenure at LFF, Michael prepared some hundreds of ‘Expert Witness’ reports for Family Court proceedings, and delivered hundreds of days training to social workers, probation officers, and police officers
Michael has acted as ‘Staff Trainer’ for Europol’s ten day ‘COSEC’ course for seventeen years, where he trains police to investigate online sexual offences against children.
He is the author of a play, now a book, ‘Crossing the Line’, which deals with issues relating to secondary harms and vicarious trauma in investigations related to the downloading of child sexual exploitation material.
