Welcome to Undertow
Undertow is a community-based organisation working at the intersection of storytelling, mental health, and social justice. We design and deliver narrative-led programmes that support emotional recovery, agency, and wellbeing among individuals navigating trauma, displacement, and systemic vulnerability.
Our work is rooted in the understanding that many experiences—migration, homelessness, domestic abuse, poverty, and social exclusion—are not only personal but structural. Healing, therefore, requires more than individual coping strategies; it requires spaces where people can be heard, understood, and supported to make sense of what they have lived through.
With experience working alongside refugees, migrants, people affected by domestic violence, individuals experiencing homelessness, and others facing marginalisation, we create environments that are psychologically safe, reflective, and collaborative.
Storytelling, for us, is not just expressive—it is a form of sense-making. It helps people organise experience, rebuild confidence, and reconnect with their own agency. Through facilitated writing, dialogue, and creative practice, we support individuals to articulate what they carry, strengthen their capacity to navigate complexity, and reconnect with their own values and direction.
At Undertow, we believe that stories are not only personal—they are political. They reveal how systems operate, where harm occurs, and what needs to change. By centring lived experience, we aim to strengthen communities, amplify marginalised voices, and contribute to more humane and responsive ways of working.
What we do
-
Workshops
At Undertow, we specialise in delivering tailored writing workshops designed to empower individuals, amplify their voices, and foster meaningful connections. Our sessions are thoughtfully crafted to meet the unique needs of each audience, whether working with vulnerable communities, organisations, or groups seeking creative and therapeutic outlets.
-
Research
At Undertow, our community projects, like Statement of Asylum, use the transformative power of words to engage audiences with essential social topics. By connecting communities through shared narratives, these initiatives not only amplify underrepresented perspectives but also inspire dialogue and action.
-
Corporate Services
At Undertow, our community projects and workshops use the transformative power of words to engage audiences with essential social topics. To support these impactful projects, we also offer tailored corporate workshops that use storytelling to enhance communication, build connections, and foster inclusivity within organisations.
Our Founder
Undertow was founded in 2020 by Dr Kat Lewis.
Undertow was founded in 2020 by Dr Kat Lewis, a researcher, mediator, and creative practitioner specialising in narrative-based approaches to emotional wellbeing, recovery, and social justice.
Undertow emerged during the profound isolation of the first COVID-19 lockdown, from a recognition that while many forms of support focus on outcomes, diagnoses, or behaviour change, there is often little space for people to make sense of what they have lived through. Kat’s work is rooted in the belief that storytelling is not simply expressive, but structurally important: it helps people organise experience, regain agency, and rebuild a sense of meaning after disruption or loss.
The name Undertow reflects the emotional currents that shape our inner lives—often unseen, but deeply influential. Through guided writing, reflective practice, and facilitated dialogue, Undertow creates spaces where people can safely explore experiences that may otherwise remain unspoken: grief, displacement, fear, identity shifts, and moments of quiet resilience.
Kat’s background spans mediation, community-based research, governance, and creative practice. She has worked extensively with refugees and migrants, individuals affected by domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and others navigating structural vulnerability. Across all of her work, she is concerned with how people are heard, how their stories are understood, and how systems respond.
Undertow’s approach is not about fixing people, but about supporting clarity, self-trust, and agency. Writing becomes a tool for understanding what has happened, what matters now, and what is possible next. This process often leads not only to personal insight, but to stronger relationships, greater confidence, and a renewed sense of belonging.
‘Dr Lewis is amazing to work with. She’s trauma informed and puts the people she works with at the centre of what she does. She creates safe, creative places and the results she produces lift people and share their unique voices while protecting their privacy. ’
— Kent Refugee Action Network