About Me

I am a Child and Adolescent Educational Psychotherapist, with systemic training and experience working with children, young people, siblings and families. Qualified with a degree in Education, (BEd Hons), my career includes work as a senior leader & teacher, in state and private schools across London and multilingual schools overseas. To support children, parents and staff in an educational context, I have a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Language and Communication, this level of theory enables me to identify and provide strategies for a range of learning difficulties and Neurodiversity. My knowledge of child development is bolstered by the intermediate qualification in Systemic Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFSP) from The Tavistock. I have worked in CAMHS/NHS and in private practice. My sessions are aimed at supporting clients who are facing a range of complex challenges. We proceed according to each individual’s needs and concerns. Practical tools with younger family members stem from sensory and somatic work often from the field of Neuro-Dramatic Play (NDP). This is an attachment-based intervention and developmental approach created by Dr. Sue Jennings that uses craft, play and drama to foster healthy relationships, brain growth, and emotional regulation. I am a fellow of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Association (NPSA) which keeps me abreast of developing research and interconnections between psychotherapeutic, affective and cognitive neuroscience.

My Approach

By creating a safe therapeutic space, I aim for children and families to feel heard and empowered to develop strengths and strategies to manage the challenges they face. My approach is integrative which allows me to work holistically and creatively with the client. I incorporate trauma informed practice, attachment and sensory-somatic activities based around art, play and learning. Together we draw on the wider systems and relationships that influence family and school life. With parents/carers on board, we find ways to discover and explore underlying needs and in doing so, the therapy aims to support the family system as a whole. In sessions, I seek to empower child clients and families to establish clearer heads and minds. The work may invite verbal and non-verbal socio-emotional communication and the creation of coping tools. The sessions aim to increase confidence and the capacity to think, learn and grow.

I offer a free telephone consultation before discussing next steps and plans for any initial baseline assessments. The preferred method of working is 1:1 with the child using rooms-for-therapists across London and sometimes Sussex, or by arrangement in their school environment. Work with families may focus on shorter term goals to bring hope and change.
Family Walk-Time in local parks is offered as a way for families to commune and re-connect.

A wait list is often applicable for half termly blocks, weekends and holiday sessions.

Support, advice and supervision is available for teachers and staff who are managing the complexity of day to day routines, specific needs and inclusive practices. For education professionals, (twilight/inset) school packages for staff around co-regulation, mentorship, and other themes that foster belonging and inclusion may also be delivered.

I work with

• Children and young people
• Families

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Educational Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• ADHD
• Adoption
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Bereavement
• Cancer
• Chronic Illness
• Divorce
• Family
• Mental Health Issues
• Parents
• Relationships
• Trauma