Who I work with

Feeling anxious is a normal feeling that happens to everyone and can help protect us. However when our anxiety alarm becomes too sensitive and goes off when we do not need protection it can be very upsetting and really get in the way of life. 

Maybe your child has become very avoidant of situations or over reliant on reassurance from you. They might be lacking in confidence in new situations. They might experience lots tummy aches and headaches. Possibly having thoughts that worry them and stop them concentrating on other things. They might find it difficult to get to sleep or become more irritable and short tempered. These are very common problems and with support can be overcome. 

I work together with children, young people and their families to identify ways that they would like their life to be and feel different. You are very much in control of what you would like help with. 

I can offer my training, experience and expertise of what has been shown to help other people to try to find the best ways of helping you. 

I believe in the importance of parents/carers having a key role in helping to understand problems and to support a child or young person's emotional well being. Therefore I always meet parents and carers before I meet their child. Ideally, I also work in partnership with parents and children, especially for younger children, but also if appropriate, for older children too. 

As a Clinical Psychologist I am trained in a broad variety of psychological assessments and therapies. I am also trained in child development and learning, and what influences these processes. Our extensive training also helps us to consider factors outside of your child, such as friendships, school environment and family relationships. 

I specialise in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This is a talking skills based therapy that is well researched and evidence based. lt focuses on understanding how feelings effect us, and learning different ways of thinking and behaving in order to develop more positive ways of coping that build confidence and resilience. It is quite a structured approach, based on clearly defined goals, and often uses pictures and diagrams to help us work out what might be helpful.