Gerry Crawford
Mr Sewell has a very studied academic pool of knowledge and relates management models of practice with sophisticated ease.
The considered experience that Mr Sewell offers enabled my reflective analysis and increased self awareness. This facilitated my personal and professional development.
Mentoring was not the one-way street of being told what the gaps in knowledge and experience might be. Rather it was a shared interface with examples from both a professional and personal perspective, allowing for a very rounded position to be sustained.
Mentoring with Mr Sewell was always challenging. He internalised and digested many of the salient points during discussions. He would outline the potential meaning behind the particular experiences of working in the arena of health and social care that we discussed. We identified how I could be mindful in these contexts so that my performance would always improve.
I have been fortunate to have had this mentoring experience for a period of 5 years. We meet between 3 to 5 times per year at different venues. The agenda is never prescribed and we can both bring those relevant issues as they are alive in our current experience of work and life more generally.
Mr Sewell has a very studied academic pool of knowledge and relates management models of practice with sophisticated ease. He remains at the forefront of mental health practice and applies himself with a high level of competence to the demands of being a Director in a Foundation Trust.
He has a style and confidence about how to present himself to both colleagues and services users which makes him accessible and reliable. He believes in the true nature of empowerment and does not agitate about the potential for progress. Rather he offers advice and guidance which is real, relevant and meaningful.
The particular benefits to me have been that I have moved through the senior manager positions to now become an assistant director of Operations for a mental health Foundation Trust. I also completed my post graduate Diploma in Management Studies. I acknowledge that this has been achieved through the application of some of the models Mr Sewell has introduced me to and also by remaining focused on the initiatives of self development that we have explored.
I have been able to rely on Mr Sewell implicitly and have come to trust his wealth of experience. He makes himself available to me when required and always gives good notice if the day job conspires to mean we have to reschedule any planned meetings.
I would strongly recommend mentoring with Mr Sewell and am sure that his professionalism and commitment will reward those who have the opportunity to come and share with his rich experience.
Gerry Crawford
Assistant Director of Operations