The Growth Mind Project CIC
A different way of supporting families
Too often, support only appears once things have reached crisis point.
Too often, people are expected to hold it all together while navigating systems that feel overwhelming, slow, and impersonal.
We believe there is a better way.
One that recognises the emotional load carried by parents, carers, and professionals.
One that values lived experience as much as qualifications.
And one that offers support that feels human, practical, and accessible, not clinical, cold, or a “here you go, have a read” information sheet.
This is the foundation of everything we do!
It is our mission at The Growth Mind Project CIC to support parents, carers, and professionals with their mental and emotional wellbeing while raising and working with SEN and neurodivergent children (but not exclusively).
We do this through tools, strategies, training, and spaces that feel human not clinical.
We exist to ease the pressure, offer connection, and provide emotional and therapeutic support and education that works in real life, before crisis hits.
We envision a future where families and professionals feel confident, supported, and understood.
A future where children grow up in homes and schools that see their strengths, not just their struggles.
Where emotional support isn’t a luxury or a last resort, but the starting point.
We want to create a world where support is based on trust, not thresholds.
Where lived experience and practical strategy work hand in hand.
And where no child, parent, carer, or professional feels like they’re doing it alone and are not being heard.
Lived Experience is Leadership
We believe those who have lived it bring wisdom, empathy, and insight that cannot be taught from textbooks alone.
Prevention Over Crisis
Support should come before burnout
Emotional Safety for All
Everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, and safe.
Community Over Isolation
No one should have to navigate this journey alone.
Progress, Not Perfection
Small steps matter. Growth doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful.
The Growth Mind Project CIC - Story
There was a little girl who struggled in school.
When she was younger, they said she tried really hard. She got distracted easily, lacked concentration, and daydreamed a lot. They called her “The Dreamer.”
Then she grew up and went to high school, where she struggled even more.
She was labelled disruptive, told she didn’t listen, that she lacked concentration, she was disorganised and lacked motivation because she had the potential to do it.
The struggle came out in her behaviour, not out of ignorance, but out of a lack of understanding.
Some support was given. She had that one person in school who believed in her. That one person made a difference.
But one person wasn’t and isn’t enough.
She needed everyone to understand.
It’s true what they say…
"It takes a village to raise a child".
To the outside world, this little girl looked like she didn’t care.
She was hard-faced.
Naughty.
Seen as the problem.
But on the inside, she was struggling with pain, shame, and learning all's whilst feeling different because of it.
She wore a mask.
She left school with no GCSEs and a deep belief that she wasn’t good enough, stupid, even.
And years of mental health struggles followed.
That little girl was me.
After leaving school, I started to find things I enjoyed and went back to college to pick up where I’d left off, continuing my learning and development. Later down the line, I became a mum.
I started my career working with children and stayed in that world for over 10 years. I worked in schools, early years settings, and additional needs support, following EHCPs and completing countless trainings to better understand differences.
I worked my way up to management in some roles and eventually started my first business.
And during that time, I saw first-hand how many children fall through the cracks.
Then I had a child with autism.
By this point, I had already trained at university in counselling with coaching and mentoring. Since then, I’ve gone on to deeply understand how the nervous system works, how beliefs are formed, and how emotional regulation is the missing piece in so many lives not just for children, but for the adults raising and teaching them too.
And now… I’ve brought it all together.
The lived experience.
The professional knowledge.
The tools that actually make a difference.
And I’ve poured it into this.
The Final straw
I watched my sister lose her way under the mental and emotional toll of fighting to get support for her child who has special educational needs. While managing her own struggles and navigating a system that feels impossible.
I’ve had countless conversations with parents who feel like they’re failing and are completely burnt out.
We’ve gathered data, evidence, real voices.
And the message is clear.
The system is stretched.
Support is hard to access.
People are hitting breaking point.
That’s why this project isn’t just a service, it’s a mission.
Meet the Directors
Hey, I’m Gemma Holden
I’m the Co-Director of The Growth Mind Project CIC®️.
We’re building a community and a range of support services that are easy to access, affordable, and genuinely there to support you.
I have combined ADHD and I’m raising children with different abilities, so this work is personal as well as professional.
Alongside lived experience, I bring a strong educational and therapeutic background (even though I struggled in school, it turns out hyper-focusing on what you love can take you a long way).
My qualifications and training include:
Level 2 & 3 Children’s Care & Learning Development
HE – Young Children’s Learning Development
FDA Counselling with Coaching & Mentoring
BA (Hons) Coaching & Mentoring
MSc Psychology (Student 2026)
Clinical Hypnotherapist
EFT & NLP Practitioner
Body Therapist
Business Strategist
This work is grounded in evidence, led by lived experience and always by a relatable human.
Hello - I'm Chloe Sutton
Co-Director | Behaviour & SEND Specialist at The Growth Mind Project CIC®️.
I bring extensive hands-on experience supporting children with special educational needs, behavioural challenges and complex emotional needs within educational settings.
Throughout my career I've worked across both specialist provisions and mainstream education, supporting children, families and professionals to better understand behaviour and create environments where young people can succeed.
My roles have included working as a room lead within specialist challenging behaviour provision, providing SENCO support, and delivering outreach services to schools supporting children who are struggling within mainstream settings. I've developed and delivered specialist intervention programmes, supported EHCP applications and referrals, and acted as lead professional on Early Help assessments, helping families access the right support at the right time.
Alongside working directly with children, I have also delivered whole-school behaviour training, supported teachers with strategies for individual pupils, and written professional reports used by schools as evidence for additional support and funding.
My professional training includes:
Complex Trauma,
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs),
Attachment Theory,
Sensory Integration Training,
Sensory profiling, using sensory diets and circuits,
De-escalation Strategies,
Challenging Behaviour,
DSL & Safeguarding,
Understanding ASD, ADHD & PDA,
Supporting Learning Difficulties,
Inclusion within education.
Giving me a strong understanding of how early experiences influence behaviour, emotional regulation and learning.
Alongside my professional experience, I am also a mother to AuDHD and PDA twins, giving me a deep personal understanding of the challenges families face when navigating education, support systems and everyday life.
At The Growth Mind Project®️ CIC, I work closely with families, schools and professionals to bridge the gap between education and emotional wellbeing, helping create safer, more supportive environments where children feel understood and supported.
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We're launching something powerful for parents and carers who are sick and tired of being dismissed and unsupported. We know the emotional rollercoaster that comes when supporting and advocating for your child. This is NOT a service that hands you a leaflet to read and puts you on a waiting list for 7 years. This is support that understands you because we live it too.
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