More About Me

I trained as a psychotherapist on the UKCP pathway, and was for 10 years a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist, (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy: one of the main organizations regulating the practice of psychotherapy in the UK).

Since downsizing, however, (I now work 3 days a week), I have changed organizations to join the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and am an accredited member of their Children and Young People’s therapy register. I work with both children and young people, and adults.

I worked for many years for the NHS as a specialist speech and language therapist, specializing in mental health, learning disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder, though I now no longer practise speech and language therapy due to the demands of my caseload with young people requiring psychotherapy.

I have been practising as a psychotherapist in Suffolk for 14 years. I also have 25 years’ experience working as a speech and language therapist in numerous roles for the NHS and for independent organizations and am now in independent practice. I have worked in a number of other roles as well as seeing both adults and children individually for therapy.

These Include...

• Working as a school counsellor in several different education settings, including a school for young people with learning disabilities.
• Acting as lecturer and course facilitator on a BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) approved counselling course.
• Running workshops and other teaching commitments in the area of child mental health.
• Serving as a UKCP committee member working on standards for psychotherapy with children.
• Liaising with schools to support young people with special educational needs.
• Lecturing in mental health to postgraduate speech and language therapy trainees on a University Course.

I have had full training in the use of THRIVE and have experience of its use within school settings. I also have training and I acted as a Makaton Regional Tutor for many years. I still regularly use this method of augmentative communication when appropriate, as in working with people who have learning disabilities and find verbal communication alone difficult.

I offer EMDR therapy where appropriate.

I also have training in delivering therapy online.

Glossary

THRIVE: An approach to mental health and wellbeing used in numerous schools throughout the UK, including Suffolk: is to help children and young people become more emotionally resilient and better placed to engage with life and learning. It utilizes a whole-school approach to wellbeing – in order to support mental health and to improve attendance, behaviour, and attainment.

EMDR: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is treatment technique. It involves the making specific eye movements, while processing traumatic memories, with the therapist supporting. The aim is to help heal from trauma or distressing experiences.

MAKATON: Makaton is a language programme for people who have difficulties in communicating. It uses symbols and signs along with speech to enable people to communicate. It supports essential communication skills such as attention and listening, understanding of language, memory, recall and expressive language.

 

More About My Services

• Counselling sessions take place in a safe environment, on a one- to-one basis, though I may also offer parent-child interaction sessions to help other family members in supporting to the child, and helping relationships at home.
• Younger children often benefit from a play based approach.
• Therapy makes use of the arts to help those children who have difficulty in expressing what they feel: e.g music; pretend play; stories; painting; sand-play; modelling.
• I also work closely with families and school staff. Although I have clear guidelines for confidentiality when working with a child, some information is shared with others who know the child, in order that they too, are aware of how the child can be helped. What is shared, and to whom, is always made clear to the child at the start of therapy.
• Where necessary I will liaise closely with other services, such as childrens’ mental health services, education, social care, etc.
• Sessions take place at my therapy rooms at the Suffolk Yoga Centre centre in Ipswich.
• I adhere to the NCPS code of ethics and safe practice, and all therapists with this organization are required to have regular supervision of their practice to ensure the standards are kept.
• Both short and longer term support are available.

I welcome referrals of young people with learning disabilities, physical and sensory needs, and/or autistic spectrum disorder: I have considerable specialist experience in supporting them and their families.