Francesca Castellano

A socially distances selfie and me and Francesca and below, just some of the many hundreds of Therapy Dolls make by you.

So many of you have been helping me help one of my best and closest friends by making Therapy Dolls. But who is Francesca Castellano and how exactly are the Therapy Dolls used? Rather me tell you, I have asked Francesca to tell you herself.

“I met John a few (*cough*) years ago when we were working in the film business, John dressed the film stars and I typed up lists in the production office. I was drawn to his humour, his directness and his open, generous heart and I think he liked my cooking! We became close friends and he has remained so throughout the years, through good times and bad, and becoming godfather to our son, Luciano, and is a part of our family.

In the mid 2000s, I decided to follow a life-long interest in psychology and the law and in 2017 completed a Masters in Forensic Psychology. This led to working as a Registered Intermediary, a job I feel passionately about. Intermediaries assess the communication abilities of vulnerable children and adults going through the criminal justice system. We work with all ages (my youngest client was 6 and oldest 83) and with all needs (autism, depression, OCD, oppositional defiance disorder, ADHD to name but a few) and help to advise how victims should be questioned and treated during interviews and appearances in court.

Many victims of abuse do not want to, or cannot, put into words what has happened to them and so I asked John if he knew someone who might be able to make a set of dolls to very specific requirements to enable them to 'show' as a way of 'telling'. We were inundated with the most wonderful, inventive, joyous families of dolls and - to date – nearly 100 intermediaries (almost half of all registered intermediaries practicing in the UK) now have them in their kit boxes. Each and every set is making a real difference in our work and I could not be more grateful for the generosity and love shown by John and his incredible sewing force.“