Meet the team at Play Included C.I.C.
A small team with a big ambition
We are a small team of experts working together to make a big difference. Between us, we have many years of experience in clinical and educational psychology, child mental health, teaching and neurodiversity. We love to learn and continue to carry out academic research to advance the knowledge base for our programmes.
HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist, Founder & Chief Product Officer
Dr. Gina Gómez de la Cuesta
Clinical Psychologist, Founder & Chief Product Officer
Gina founded Bricks for Autism (now Play Included) in 2018, supported by the Cambridge Social Ventures incubator programme, University of Cambridge. Having studied LEGO based therapy for her PhD at Cambridge University Autism Research Centre, Gina is co-author of the LEGO based therapy manual. Gina completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of East Anglia and has done PGCE teacher training. Gina continues to be involved with academic research as well as clinical practice in the NHS, specialising in autism and child and adolescent mental health. She has published several academic papers on LEGO based therapy, including for the I-SOCIALISE randomised control trial. She loves singing, cooking and travelling to Spain. She would like to do more gardening and pilates, but she also likes relaxing watching TV! Gina is passionate about supporting every child’s development through play, including her own two children, who are also big fans of LEGO bricks.
HCPC registered Child & Educational Psychologist, Founder & Managing Director
Dr. Elinor Brett
Child & Educational Psychologist, Founder & Managing Director
Elinor has over 10 years’ experience supporting young people with special educational needs. She gained a doctorate in Child, Community and Educational Psychology from the University of Exeter in 2013. As part of her doctoral training, she researched the use of LEGO brick based therapy to support autistic young people in mainstream schools and has been training facilitators ever since. Working as an Educational Psychologist in a local authority since 2013, she brings her experience of supporting young people in educational settings to both the programme and organisation. Elinor loves playing with LEGO bricks and DUPLO at home with her own children.
Head of Operations
Sarah Lee
Head of Operations
After her degree in English and Philosophy, Sarah naturally started her career in Public Health! She worked in Public Health in the West Midlands for six years, obtaining a Master’s in Public Health and specialising in Public Health and Sustainable Development. She then went on to work for The Minister for Care Services in the Department of Health in Whitehall as one of his Private Secretaries, leading on his portfolio areas for carers, older people, dementia, end of life care, child and adolescent mental health and protection of vulnerable adults. Prior to working at Play Included, Sarah was Business Manager at a busy Marketing Agency for over five years. As Head of Operations at Play Included, Sarah has oversight and management across the finance, HR and operational functions. Sarah loves working at Play Included CIC with its focus on positive outcomes for children.
Head of Partnerships
Benjamin Huaman
Head of Partnerships
Benjamin has extensive experience in a variety of industries, and has worked in the UK, the US, Europe and Latin America. He was Head of Commercial Projects for Penguin Random House and a Strategic Partner Manager for Google. Benjamin holds an MBA from Stanford University and for the past few years has been taking introductory courses in psychotherapy at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. He is an avid reader and passionate surfer, and was born and grew up in Peru. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Research & Evaluation Lead
Dr. Margaret Laurie
Research & Evaluation Lead
Margaret (also known as Maggi) completed a PhD at the University of Edinburgh looking at the role of digital technology to support social play in autistic children. After continuing research at Edinburgh on learning through play in science museums, she then worked at the LEGO Foundation, developing formative tools to support teachers' implementation of learning through play in low-income settings, and learning about quality play from children's perspectives. Maggi's role at Play Included involves building evidence on Brick Clubs and learning through play, and establishing new research partnerships. In her spare time, Maggi likes to bag Scottish Munros, hang out in coffee shops, and read dystopian fiction.
Trainer & Community Engagement Co-ordinator
Abigail Dodson
Trainer & Community Engagement Co-ordinator
Abigail is a passionate facilitator and professional trainer. With over 25 years’ experience in training, development and coaching in sport, business, and education, she was trained by Gina in LEGO based therapy in 2016. Soon after she began running school and community-based Brick Clubs. Abigail has also been involved in the delivery of training for the I-SOCIALISE research trial, the first large-scale randomised controlled trial evaluating the Brick-by-Brick® programme. In her spare time she enjoys coaching cricket, cycling, and playing with LEGO models at home with her family.
Business Support Officer
Jane Snook
Business Support Officer
Jane is an experienced Business Support professional and has worked across various business sectors before bringing her expertise to Play Included. She divides her spare time between her role as Adjutant for her local Air Cadet Squadron and rescuing German Shepherds.
LEGO activities to play at home
Play together at home and support your child
