Meet the Team

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Melissa Sladen

Founder & Specialist Behaviour Consultant

Melissa is an experienced educational leader with extensive expertise in supporting children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Having held senior leadership positions within specialist education settings, she has worked closely with families, schools, local authorities, and multi-agency professionals to improve outcomes for children with complex needs.

Melissa specialises in behavioural support, educational advocacy, SEND guidance, and strategic intervention planning, helping families navigate challenges with clarity, confidence, and practical solutions.

A message from Melissa

Thank you for taking the time to look into how we can help you here at Sladen Advisory! Since I started my career in education over 15 years ago, my passion has always been supporting young people to overcome barriers and reach their potential. From my extensive experience, I started to identify the hurdles families can face, particularly whilst navigating complex systems. I wanted to do more to help - so Sladen Advisory was created! My understanding of these systems, paired with my hands-on experience of working with young people with complex needs and their families, places me in the perfect position to help.

Honesty and integrity are core values of mine, paired with kindness and compassion. I can assure you that at Sladen Advisory we really do care, and we will do everything we can to help your family flourish; empowering parents to create positive outcomes which last.

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Faith Watson

Counsellor & Behaviour Coach

Faith is a BPS-accredited counsellor with significant experience supporting children, young people, families, and educational settings. Alongside her work within schools and family services, Faith also works within the NHS, providing therapeutic support, one-to-one interventions, and behaviour coaching.

Faith's compassionate and evidence-informed approach helps children and young people develop emotional awareness, resilience, confidence, and effective coping strategies.

Her expertise complements our educational and behavioural consultancy services, ensuring families have access to integrated support that considers both emotional wellbeing and personal development.

A message from Faith