
Susannah Wakefield MSc, UKCP Reg: Systemic Family Psychotherapist

About me
WHO AM I?
I am a highly skilled Systemic and Family Psychotherapist, with experience of working with a broad range of difficulties that individuals and families face.
WHERE HAVE I WORKED?
I have worked within an NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for the last 8 years. Prior to this I worked in an NHS Adult Mental Health service: Physical Disability Psychology Service. Within both roles I have successfully provided interventions for the widest variety of generic and complex mental health conditions.
HOW DO I WORK?
The key focus of my approach is to form a trusting and non-judgmental therapeutic relationship with the people I support. My aim is to facilitate a warm, empathetic and honest context in which to promote successful results - what ever you feel that would be. I am creative and flexible with my approach. I am compassionate (that’s the nurse in me), but also fair, open and honest with everybody that I meet.
WHO DO I WORK WITH?
Importantly I am able to work individually with adults or individually with a teenager or with any variety of family members – depending on need. Sometimes who I work with varies, so the work may include individual sessions and different combination family sessions. This may be with parents alone, couples, separated or divorced.
HOW DO WE KNOW IF ITS WORKING?
My therapeutic sessions are outcome focused, which means that I provide support according to your wishes, or according to what we may have agreed together may be helpful. I will regularly review the benefits of my support.
SOMETHING EXTRA
Due to my experience and systemic outlook, I have a particular awareness of the negative impact of wider institutions on families, particularly education and local authority policy, for a small fee I may be able to offer some outside session support.
WHERE DO I WORK?
Within my small private practice I am able to do home visits or I have access to a clinic base in Gillingham, Medway.
If you think I might be the right person to help you, please send me an email and we can arrange a time to talk on the phone.
Training, qualifications & experience
- 2010 -2018 Position Systemic Psychotherapist: Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- 2004 - 2010 Position Systemic Psychotherapist: Adult Mental health services Medway/Physical Disability Psychology Service
- 2003 Graduated: MSc in Systemic Psychotherapy.
- 1998 Sexuality and Sexuality Foundation University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield.
- 1997 Care and Management of Individuals with HIV&AIDS, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield.
- 1995 Qualified Registered General Nurse (RGN), North Herts NHS Trust.
HOW CAN YOU TRUST I KNOW WHAT IM DOING?
I have to complete 30 hours of further training per year in order to meet the criteria for on-going registration with United Kingdom Counsel for Psychotherapy (UKCP). I completed my most recent UKCP 5-year re-accreditation in January 2016.
I'm also a member of The Association of Family Therapy (AFT).
I have many years’ experience of participation in, and leading Family therapy clinics within child & adolescent mental health contexts (as per UKCP requirements), which included direct supervision of other professionals, use of one-way screen and teaching – including to medical students.
Areas of counselling I deal with
- Abortion
- Abuse
- Addiction(s)
- ADHD
- Affairs and betrayals
- Alcoholism
- Anger management
- Anorexia nervosa
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Anxiety
- Asperger's syndrome
- Attachment disorder in children
- Autism
- Avoidant personality disorder
- Behaviour problems
- Bereavement
- Binge-eating disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bulimia nervosa
- Bullying
- Cancer
- Career counselling
- Carer support
- Child related issues
- Childhood bereavement
- Childhood bullying
- Children’s learning difficulties
- Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME
- Dependent personality disorder
- Depression
- Depression and anxiety in children
- Disabilities
- Discrimination
- Dissociation
- Domestic violence
- Drug addiction
- Eating disorders
- Emotional abuse
- Family issues
- Feeling sad
- Gambling
- Gender dysphoria
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Hearing voices
- Histrionic personality disorder
- HIV/AIDS
- Hoarding
- Infertility
- Internet addiction
- Learning difficulties
- Loneliness
- Low self-confidence
- Low self-esteem
- Miscarriage
- Narcissistic personality disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
- Panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Paranoid personality disorder
- Passive aggressive behaviour
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Physical abuse
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Postnatal depression
- Pregnancy and birth
- Psychosis
- Redundancy
- Relationship problems
- Schizoid personality disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Schizotypal personality disorder
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Separation and divorce
- Separation anxiety
- Sex addiction
- Sex problems
- Sexual abuse
- Sexuality
- Smoking
- Spirituality
- Stress
- Suicidal thoughts
- Tourette's syndrome
- Trauma
- Work-related stress
- Young carers
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Family therapy
- Conflict resolution
- Family estrangement/ intergenerational family estrangement
- Sibling conflict
Fees
Any individual session: £45.00
Any extra adult or young person £15.00 per person, as follows:
2 people (including couples): £60.00
3 people : £75.00
4 people : £90.00
5 people : £105.00
Fee for outside session support negotiable depending on requirement.
Maps & Directions
Type of session
Online counselling: | No |
Telephone counselling: | No |
Face to face counselling: | Yes |
Home visits: | No |
Practical details
Sign language: | No |
Other languages: | None |
Availability
Some Saturdays (am), weekdays and times to be mutually negotiated.
Types of client
Children |
Young people |
Adults |
Older adults |
Couples |
Families |
Groups |