About Me

My Working Approach:

Relationships form the core of my work, I engage a child or young person in truly meaningful dialogue for profound personal change. Over time this process can enable the child to widen the relational options with themselves and others, and fulfill their potential.

As a registered Integrative Child Psychotherapist the support I offer gives children and young people (between the ages of 3-18) a safe, confidential space and the tools they need to explore what is going on for them. I strive to understand their difficulties, from their perspective, enabling them to make sense of their world and experiences.

Whilst respecting the confidentiality of the child’s therapy and process, I can also offer significant support to parents at these times of struggle.

Meeting a child where they are emotionally may involve more than just talking. An integrative approach means I facilitate communication through the use of different art forms including sand-tray, paints, drawing, clay, collage, poetry, drama, puppets, working with dreams, bodywork and music. These mediums enable the child or young person to show their feelings and experiences. This allows for overwhelming internal states to be externalised, contained and worked through, enabling the child to understand their emotional life and find their own solutions and resilience.

The length and type of therapy offered is dependent upon the needs of the child or young person and is decided upon in collaboration with the child and their family, following an initial assessment period, which usually lasts 6 weeks.

My Qualifications & Professional Associations:

I am registered with and accredited by United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Registration Number: 2011163988 and am also a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP). Registration Number: 80726 and uphold both code of ethics;

I completed a certificate in Counselling Skills and Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in the Therapeutic and Educational Application of the Arts in 2010, followed by a Post Graduate Clinical Masters Degree in Integrative Child Psychotherapy in 2013 at The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education, London (IATE)

I am also registered organisational member of IATE. I undertake regular professional development courses and conferences, together with safeguarding training.

In a commitment to excellence and best practice, a complete list of training I have undertaken can be found here

I hold an enhanced DBS certificate and have Professional Liability Insurance and am registered with the ICO.

In addition to my clinical work, I am an Affiliated Lecturer on the Postgraduate training in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapeutic Counselling at The University of Cambridge.

My Theoretical Orientation:

Research is clear that the most valued ingredient in therapy is the quality of the professional therapeutic relationship regardless of the theoretical approach.  I strive to provide a trusting and safe therapeutic relationship that can increase awareness and develop your young person’s strengths and resilience. The interventions I use are based on best practice and evidenced based research to facilitate awareness, change and well-being for your child.

I am an Integrative Child Psychotherapist which means that I employ the idea that there is no one way of understanding behaviour or distress, as each child and young person is unique and the contradictions they face are part of being human.

This means I bring together a range of theories to create a coherent integrated approach tailor made to best meet your child’s needs.

The main theories that I draw upon are Attachment Theory and Object Relations Theory, which both assert the primacy of relational needs. I also apply the most recent neurobiological research to underpin my interventions, and draw strategies from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) where appropriate.

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