Dolores Hill

I am an Organisational Psychologist and Coach with a particular passion for championing employee wellbeing and engagement for the benefit of the individuals and their organisations. An experienced teacher with a keen awareness of the challenges facing educators and students today, and well versed with strategies to support them. A highly skilled communicator who is comfortable connecting with individuals, facilitating a room of professionals, and writing up reports for an academic or general audience. An evidence based practitioner who uses data to identify areas of improvement, design interventions, assess progress, and plan next steps. An enthusiastic team player who is always keen to collaborate with others to generate ideas and drive action.

I have spent nearly a decade in the education sector, and in 2024 decided to return to my psychology roots and undertake an MSc in Organisational Psychology. As part of my course, I conducted research into the experiences and impacts of creative hobbies for the working population.

It was inspired by my own experiences of discovering creative hobbies in 2018 when I suddenly felt the need to embroider something.

I was in the post-graduation job hunting era and so I was seeking something to make me feel productive, keep my hands and my mind busy, and potentially give me a cheap option for Christmas presents for my large and ever growing family. However, I considered myself firmly ‘not-artistic’, and at that time very much felt that ‘being artistic’ involved some kind of X-factor that if you didn’t possess at birth, you couldn’t acquire.

But I really wanted to do something, and embroidery felt a bit like dot-to-dot with needle and thread. I could find a template to follow, join the dots, and I’d have something to show for it. It didn’t rely on any actual creativity from me, just the capacity to follow instructions. Add in my exposure to various Jane Austen TV adaptations over the years, and before I knew it I was searching the shelves of Crafts ‘N’ More to find what I needed for my first project - and lo and behold, I was soon bringing my own ideas to life.

This impulse to craft, to create, to try something new, was one worth definitely acting on. It turned out to be the first step in discovering that the creative X-factor is in fact something we all have, and can uncover if we want to.

This research not only helped me understand my personal experiences better, but contributes to my efforts to understand how to support individuals to thrive at work, at home, and within themselves.

During my MSc I began my 1:1 coaching practice, and since completing my research, have hosted numerous creative coaching group workshops. I have more workshops coming up, please find details on my instagram and LinkedIn, and if you want to discuss working with me in a 1:1 capacity, please do not hesitate to reach out!