Core Team
John Salter
Founder
He got suicidally depressed while studying neuroscience at UCL. Rather than do something sensible like talk to a therapist, he read a bunch of science papers and used their findings to treat himself. Did it spark his passion for mental health? Perhaps so. Is this an effective way to treat yourself? Definitely not.
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John has led Overcome from just an idea, to where it is today. He's responsible for our big-picture strategy, and forming partnerships with other orgs.
Helen Hayward
Head of Operations
Helen is a management wizard; she single-handedly managed 65 volunteers to conduct 10 systematic reviews over just 4 months. She graduated top of her class in Psychology from Loughborough University. Her dissertation was so good it was considered publishable without even needing edits. Her superivisor offered her a PhD Studentship on the spot. She turned down this and several job offers from other prestigious organisations to work at Overcome (a decision she regrets to this day).
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She's responsible for designing and maintaining the systems that keep Overcome, and its studies, running smoothly.
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Chimango Chirwa
Internal Clinical Supervisor
Chimango is a licensed Counselling Psychologist in Kenya (Kenya Psychological Association). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology. In addition, she runs a private practice specialising in child and adolescent therapy (@chimangochirwatherapy).
After completing our training programme in 2023, Chimango chose to continue as a facilitator, sharing her extensive experience with future coaches. Alongside providing internal clinical supervision and facilitating mentorships and partnerships, she supports our triaging process and collaborates with clients to develop tailored support plans.
Kishah Nyambura
Training Lead
Kishah is a registered psychologist in Kenya (Counsellors and Psychologists Board, Ministry of Health). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and plays a key role in coordinating training and delivering workshops for our trainee coaches, ensuring they receive both expert guidance and a supportive environment.
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After completing our training programme in 2023, she not only excelled as a participant but also went on to master workshop facilitation and now leads many of our training sessions. With her strong growth mindset, Kishah consistently earns praise for her friendly and helpful approach, creating a positive atmosphere that encourages trainees to learn and thrive.
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Angel Au
Co-Founder
Angel is a bit of a freak. She somehow juggles a full-time job as a Crisis Support Worker, a full-time MSci Psychology student at UCL, while doing 10x more at Overcome than our average volunteer.
How does she do it? Nobody knows.
She's also the chair of the British Psychological Society's Student Committee, the founder of three different student-led organisations, and president of both UCL's Psychology Society and Mental Health Society.
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She's depicted to the left accepting the Bright Network's Wellbeing Award for Student of The Year.
Blasts from The Past
Dominic Oliver-Ray
Dominic co-founded Overcome. Among many many other things, he created partnerships between Overcome and huge organisations like the WHO and UN.
Salman Maqbool
Salman was instrumental in our big-picture strategic planning. He worked on the prototype counselling model that evolved into what we do today.
Vincent Shaw
Overcome’s “resident Boomer”, Vince’s interest in mental health developed through years of supporting family, friends and colleagues struggling with stress and mental illness. He’s managed people at BMW, Rolls Royce, Eon. He’s probably quite good at it as he was named a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Management. Vince's helped us develop our skills and make tough decisions under challenging circumstances.