WYC Team

Erin Tollefsen (McMurtry)

Chief Executive Officer

Erin joined WYC as CEO in May 2021 after working in the charity sector for almost a decade. Erin leads the team at WYC, supported by a Board of Trustees. Having worked across several different projects and organisations over the years, she is passionate about tackling inequalities and embracing new ways of thinking and working. Erin has focused on facilitating change and building a strong team at WYC that continue to go from strength to strength.  She is keen to improve the mental health support that is available to young people, having lived experience of struggling as a teen and as a young person. She hopes that her colleagues at WYC feel supported, valued and empowered to share and implement their ideas to make WYC as great as it can be!

At home, Erin enjoys spending time in the garden with her dog Sasha, after catching up with the latest episode of Gardener’s World.

Tammy Whitehouse

Business Manager

Tammy joined WYC in March 2022 as our Business Administrator while simultaneously running her own doggy day care and boarding business. With nearly two decades of varied administrative and IT experience, most recently in the luxury property development industry, Tammy found her love and passion for the charity sector after working as a fundraiser at a local cancer charity and volunteering as a youth leader at her church where she teaches and supports young people aged 11-18. Tammy quickly became our go-to person here at WYC. In November 2022 Tammy took on the role of Business Manager and supports every function of the charity including our clients, counsellors, social media, fundraising, finance, office management, and everything in between. We don’t know of a more organised person!

In her spare time, Tammy enjoys nothing more than travelling the world with her husband, reading a good book (or ten!), journaling & scrapbooking, listening to a very eclectic selection of music, and everything & anything dog related.

Katy Seymour

Youth Engagement Lead

Katy has been with WYC since 2018.  As a qualified Nurse and Primary School Teacher, Katy has a broad skill set and many years of experience working with children and young people. After a decade of teaching, she has taken on a new role within WYC, as Youth Engagement Lead.  Her role involves coordinating and developing new projects, such as the parent support programme and up-and-coming mental health drop-in service. Katy also manages our youth board, social media channels and helps to facilitate the nature therapy sessions. Katy has a keen interest in understanding and supporting young people’s mental health and has completed training to support this. She is passionate about engaging and empowering young people to have their voices heard.

Katy has two young children and loves to spend her spare time in the great outdoors; enjoying woodland walks, beach trips and travelling (with an ever growing bucket list)! Other interests of Katy’s include rock climbing, gardening, camping, music, mindfulness, and art & design.

Lauren Groves

Admin Assistant

After working in dementia care for nearly a decade, Lauren joined WYC in October 2022 as our Admin Assistant. Lauren is one of the first people our clients have contact with, either via email, on the phone, or in person and her warm nature welcomes everyone as they walk through the door. Mental & emotional health and wellbeing have always been close to Lauren’s heart which is what brought her to WYC. Lauren is a great, and much needed, addition to the team.

Outside of work, Lauren is a mum of two who keep her very busy. She enjoys spending time in nature, practising mindfulness, bullet journaling, listening to podcasts, and is a huge Harry Potter fan!

Marta Shepherd

Clinical Lead

Marta has a background in language teaching. Having then completed a degree in psychology, she trained as a psychodynamic psychotherapist at University of Leicester. She has worked with adults and young people for over 10 years. Marta joined WYC in 2014 as a volunteer counsellor and progressed to other roles within the organisation; from counsellor to school counsellor before setting up a WYC counselling team at Winchester College. She’s been in the role of WYC Clinical Lead since October 2020.

Rose Milford

Deputy Clinical Lead

Rose has a background in music and teaching. She trained as a counsellor with The Place2Be and the Metanoia Institute and worked therapeutically with children and young people in schools across London before moving to Hampshire in 2020. Rose joined WYC last year as Deputy Clinical Lead.

She enjoys spending time in nature and listening to music.

Jill Guppy

Therapeutic Interventions Lead

Jill is the founder of WYC and established the charity to be able to provide young people with longer term counselling. Jill is a qualified counsellor, supervisor, and outdoor therapist. Before Jill began her counselling training she also qualified in youth and community work. Jill is passionate about helping young people connect with the natural world and leads the outdoor therapy programme for WYC. Jill is also keen to help young people make transitions in life and has an interest in young people’s spirituality. Jill also offers parent consultations and has over 30 years’ experience of working with young people and families.

When she is not working, Jill enjoys body boarding, walking, tennis, and playing the guitar (not all at the same time!).

Sasha

Volunteer Senior Lunch Inspector

Sasha lives with our CEO, Erin and volunteers part-time. She takes her job very seriously ensuring all lunches and hints of lunch are thoroughly inspected. Between inspections, Sasha enjoys sitting with clients in the waiting room, napping in the sunshine, and bringing a smile to everyone’s face.

When she is not working, Sasha enjoys going for walks, eating, and sleeping.

Mango

(2012 – 2022)

Volunteer Emotional Support Officer

Mango began volunteering part-time as our emotional support officer shortly after her mum (Tammy) joined the team in 2022. Mango quickly became a favourite in the office and went above and beyond to comfort clients (and staff) in times of need. Sadly, Mango received a terminal cancer diagnosis in June 2022 and crossed the rainbow bridge in November 2022 aged 10. She continued to volunteer throughout her battle which earned her the ‘Employee of the Month’ spot, every month.