About Mike Wash – Author At the age of 15, after spending 18 months in Catholic School training for a life of a religious teacher as a ‘De La Salle’ brother, I decided to come home and face the realities of a different type of ‘family’ life. The desire within me to help others was still strong and on the eve of me leaving to do Voluntary Services overseas, at the age of 17, an opportunity to join the school of psychiatry as a student nurse was too much of a coincidence to ignore. Those first few years working in a large mental institution in the early 1970’s, wiped out any sense of remaining naivety or innocence about the capability of the human mind to destroy itself and others. My path was set, but I was unhappy to be constrained by ‘institutional walls’, so after psychiatry, I trained as a general nurse, then as a tutor – and in my private practice, qualified as a counsellor and psychotherapist. The constraining nature of the ‘health’ profession was still too much, so I decided to explore outside, and my horizon changed significantly when I was offered a job in a large telecommunications company. Here, I introduced counselling and the value of developing a supportive, facilitative change management style of leadership. My premise was that large organisations damage your health – and it doesn’t have to be that way. The irony was that during this time, I battled for six months against cancer, which created a greater strength and determination to carry on the path of ‘healing’, whether in the context of work or family life. During these very formative years, I also experienced the tragic death of my mother. Following an accident, she was left in a coma for several years. Also, my little sister, who was on kidney dialysis for years before succumbing to hepatitis and kidney failure. I was married young and one of the most proud moments of my life was witnessing the birth of my twin sons. The strain of tragedy, illness and personal change was too much for my marriage, and divorce eventually cut the chains – which enabled us both to be free and to find new happiness. I have been running my own business for the past 17 years and feel very privileged to work with people and organisations passionate about wanting to change and discover their true potential. I am very happy, married to Mave and enjoying my Grandfather status, and the attention of my sons and step-children. The journey continues …

Masters degree in Leadership. Humanistic Psychology Diploma as a trained psychotherapist. Mental Health practiitoner and tutor.