About me
I am an Integrative Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with over 20 years' experience of working with young people from 3 to 18.. and beyond.
I offer regular therapy sessions to young people suffering from a range of challenges, including general stress and anxiety, communication and social problems, school refusal, friendship struggles, screen addiction and sexuality and gender issues. Also sleep issues, aggression, phobias, self-harm, depression and compulsive and obsessive behaviours.
'Integrative' means that I didn't train in just one type of therapy, but many, and I use a fusion of whatever seems to suit the particular client at that particular time and life stage.
I am used to working with young people with a wide range of diagnoses, or potential diagnoses, including ADHD and ADD.
The other major part of my work is offering parenting consultation to parents and carers, supporting them in supporting their young people. Often this is instead of seeing young people if the young people dont want to come or if we work out that sessions for the parents/carers will be just as effective or if there is a limited budget that would not cover sessions for the young person.
Increasingly, I also offer therapy to adults, as my work has been as much with adults as younger people and I have enjoyed working with adults as much as children.
With younger children in particular, I can also offer sessions for a parent and child together and sessions to help parents bond and play with their baby/toddler.
Training, qualifications & experience
After my original degree leading to a career in publishing, I took an MA training to become an Integrative Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. The Integrative nature of my training means that I dont offer one modality of therapy to clients, such as CBT or humanistic counselling or psychodynamic psychotherapy but a mix of all these things. I tailor my approach to the age, personality and needs of the individual young person.
Some young people want to talk, others will respond to the arts, while the main approach with younger children is often through play.
Parents sometimes tell me that their teenager won't want to talk. This is ok as I can initially do the talking and perhaps put into words what I think an adolescent is feeling in a way that will make them feel understood and we usually find ways of communicating.
I am used to working with young people with a wide range of diagnoses including ADD and ADHD.
I have worked for over 20 years in a wide range of settings including the NHS, schools and private practice, as well as with fostered and adopted children and their carers and families.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
Additional information
I charge £100.00 for 50 minute face-to-face sessions with a child and £120.00-£150.00 for a parent consultation, depending on the length.
I charge £85.00 for online therapy sessions with adults or older adolescents.
Further information
While I originally trained to work with children and adolescents, I now also work therapeutically with adults. I have more than 20 years of experience in a wide range of settings.
I find that my understanding of children and how the brain forms early in life, helps me to understand the issues affecting adults and I aim to help them understand these things in themselves.
My work with parents has often moved into therapeutic realms and parents often want to understand more about what affects their relationships with their children and what has brought them to parent in the ways they do. The work also often moves into the area of couple counselling when I work with two parents together so I now work in all these areas.
