Niki

Niki Powers Manager

Niki

What is my role for Let’s Talk?

I am the Founder and Managing Director of Let’s Talk. I am also the Data Protection Officer for Let’s Talk so just get in touch with me if you want to ask anything about how we look after your information.

What is my relevant experience?

My working life has been centred solely around improving the health and well-being of children and young people. I have a PhD, an MSc and an Honours Degree all from Edinburgh University. I am a Chartered Psychologist and an Associated Fellow registered with the British Psychology Society. I have many years of research experience and I also teach a Developmental Psychology class at the Centre of Open Learning at the University of Edinburgh.

Previously I have been a specialist practitioner, trainer, strategist and policymaker, consultant, and Managing Director of services. I delivered NHS sexual health promotion projects, developing and delivering NHS sexual health training to families and for professionals; worked as a Senior Mental Health Specialist with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and working within the Health Opportunities Team (HOT) where I was Managing Director for 11 years. I have over 15 years experience of in delivering therapeutic services for young people and therapeutic supervision for staff, both privately and in the voluntary sector. With colleagues at HOT, I developed a range of therapeutic programmes that young people evaluated as being effective and helpful to reduce distress and increase resilience.

What do I like to do when I’m not working?

I love singing and dancing for fun and I love travelling. I am trying to learn to draw and also to play guitar and piano but still need quite a lot of practice. I like to walk with my dog, swim and do yoga. I have been learning karate for quite a few years but had to stop for a while – I hope to go back sometime soon to achieve my goal of getting a black belt. I love spending time with my family and friends, and I like watching films, listening to music, and gardening (when it’s sunny).

What are my skills/qualities?

We used Johari’s Window which is a method to explore our qualities. We asked friends, family, colleagues, and young people to tell us what they think too. Here is mine:

Johari’s WindowKnown to selfNot known to self
Known to othersArena
Brave,
Warm.
Blindspot
Caring, Dependable, Friendly, Giving,
Intelligent, Kind, Modest, Organised, Powerful, Proud, Responsive, and Trustworthy.
Not known to othersFaçade
 
Adaptable,
Complex,
Idealistic,
Self-assertive.
Not known
 
Able, accepting, bold, calm, cheerful, clever, confident, dignified, energetic, extroverted, happy, helpful, independent, ingenious, introverted, knowledgeable, logical, loving, mature, nervous, observant, patient, quiet, reflective, relaxed, religious, searching, self-conscious, sensible, sentimental, shy, silly, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense, wise, witty.