Talks & Workshops
My name is Steven Crichton & I am the founder of Silence Speaks & a qualified counsellor.
At the age of 6 years old, I lost my father to suicide. I don’t recall much from the days that followed, apart from the silence.
In the years that followed, the bad decisions, the destructive behaviours, all of the external events that were simultaneously spiralling out of control, were masking over two deep, underlying, unanswered questions -
“Why him?” & “Why me?”
34 years have passed, & as my understanding of trauma, mental health conditions, grief, & suicidality has grown, so to has the number of lives lost to causes like these each year. Mental Health support is certainly improving, but there is only so much that can be learnt or taught through a textbook or powerpoint.
I spent almost a decade between 2011-2020 working with two wonderful national charities, & in 2017 I began my training in both Psychology & Counselling. During this time I have trained with CPCAB to develop my counselling skills, with Dr. Bridget to become a certified practitioner of N.L.P, & most recently I achieved a BSc First Class Honours degree from the University of South Wales in Psychology with Counselling.
Following the development of Silence Speaks Counselling, I decided to focus my experience on reaching out to groups & organisations, so that I can offer my support to larger audiences in support of better mental health. Silence Speaks Up Talks & Workshops have been developed to educate & improve the psychological literacy & empathic understanding of our groups - so that they feel empowered to actively engage in challenging conversations around difficult topics. We do this by teaching through an approach that integrates academic knowledge with lived experience, to understand the biology, psychology, & sociology, that contributes to what we commonly refer to as our mental health & wellbeing.
You don’t always have to experience something to know what it feels like, but we can help you, & your team, to develop a deeper understanding in any of the areas that we specialise in.
When we challenge the narrative, we redefine the purpose.
“For him”
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“From a personal aspect, very thought provoking & appreciated that you took your time to spend a few hours with us. Burnout is an awful feeling & it actually made me stop & evaluate my own feelings as I’ve had a run of it last few weeks. Won’t bore you with the details, but had a bad few weeks with mental health & feeling sorry for myself. Now coming out the other side again but kind of hits home how easy it is to withdraw to make yourself feel better. I liked the preventing Burnout and learning to say no was a welcome reminder to put myself first. Learning to stop & say no or call upon some of the techniques you highlighted – will be at the forefront for a few weeks to come. Again, Thank you so much for sharing your story at the onset. Best wishes for the future", Julia
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"I’ve known Steven for over a year now, and I’ve had the pleasure of hearing not just one, but two of his speeches. As someone with a notoriously short attention span, I can honestly say he captures and keeps my focus every single time he truly delivers. His story can move an entire room to tears, and he is, without question, a genuine gentleman through and through." G, Lewis. Owner - Lewis Independent Broker
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“Found the workshop very illuminating and personal, which I feel is important as I felt Steven has a lot of empathy and a true advocate for suicide awareness. Felt he has provided valuable tools for ourselves. Was very satisfied and had no issues. Thank you very much :) ”
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"When you look for people doing remarkable things in the world, you will always find them and Steven Crichton from Silence Speaks is absolutely one of those people. My life’s mission has always been to seek out individuals who are transforming pain into purpose, those who use their own lived experience to make a genuine difference in the lives of others. At the Mental Health & Wellbeing Community Network, I had the privilege of hearing Steven share his story. From the moment he began speaking, he held the entire room in absolute stillness. His honesty, his presence, and his ability to articulate such profound moments of his journey were nothing short of captivating. What struck me most was the depth of connection he created with people he had only just met. It’s a rare and beautiful thing to feel immense pride and admiration for someone within minutes of hearing them speak, but that’s the impact Steven has. His work is powerful, necessary, and deeply inspiring. I left feeling grateful, moved, and reminded of the extraordinary strength that can rise from the hardest chapters of our lives. Steven is a true testament to the power of sharing our stories." Lisa
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“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the Suicide Awareness, Prevention & Your Wellbeing workshop that you recently delivered to DWP staff who work to support extremely vulnerable customers. Thank you so much for sharing your own personal journey! You are an inspiration & your resilience & passion to help others, driven by your own lived experiences are truly humbling. I feel that I benefitted so much from the session, particularly in how to keep myself grounded when dealing with difficult situations & also not to try to ‘fix’ my customers, but to do everything in my power to resolve the issues I can control with empathy & compassion. The session really touched & inspired all who attended & we will remember the key points you focused on for a long time to come. Thanks again & keep up the good work! You are amazing! – Karen”
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"Watching Steven speak is like watching someone open a window in a room you didn’t realise had gone stale. He doesn’t ‘perform’ so much as invite you into a moment with him - raw, unpolished, human, and somehow steady all at once. There’s a courage in the way he tells his story that disarms people; you feel the room shift as he speaks, because he gives people permission to feel their own truth without shame. His talks linger long after he’s finished, not because of drama or theatrics, but because he connects in a way that feels deeply real and unexpectedly hopeful. Steven doesn’t just deliver a talk, he creates an experience that stays with you." M, Cee.
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“An absolute insight into what we all try and shy away from… informative, well presented with real life personal experiences and passionate about getting the right messages and knowledge out there. Exceptional personality and a great delivery agent. A real must to attend Steven events… certainly not run of the mill.”
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"We had the pleasure of booking Silence Speaks for our Fieldnotes Stiwdio event in the summer. Steve was a fascinating and engaging speaker who brought the attendees out of their shell, involving everyone in the discussion, and staying behind after the event to connect further and answer questions. Informed by his own lived experience, Steve was able to cover sensitive topics with humility and tact; it’s fair to say that we all left the session with a renewed sense of purpose 😊 Thank you, Steve! " Millie Sutherland-O'Gara, Stiwdio Officer
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“I think this was one of the best Mental Health Talks I have been on- I think as he was relatable and spoke honestly and openly it made you listen and remain interested. It wasn’t like he was reading from a slide or text book. I already do mindfulness and grounding techniques as my head often can be super busy, I liked how he counted down from 5 with the technique for grounding, and came home and told my young children as its something they can do. I will be sharing his website and social media with friends and family. Thanks Steven – this was very useful and massively appreciated, Ella 😊”
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