I am a certified practitioner in both Theraplay® and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and I provide support for children and families in a purpose-built family therapy room in my home. I use an integrative approach to therapy, taking the most appropriate and helpful aspects of several therapeutic models to combine them make my approach relevant to each individual child, client or family. I have a particular interest in working with children who have experienced neglect and trauma. My approach includes parents, foster carers and adopters as integral partners in interventions and I positively support them in implementing a range of approaches both in sessions and in their home. I am experienced in supporting children and families with complex needs.

Shared Lives Carer for a young man with attachment difficulties, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, challenging behaviour and a learning disability. This is the same young man that I originally fostered - Shared Lives is like the adult equivalent of fostering.

Shared Lives Carer for a young man with attachment difficulties, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, challenging behaviour and a learning disability. This is the same young man that I originally fostered - Shared Lives is like the adult equivalent of fostering.

Whilst awaiting assessment and approval to become a Shared Lives carer with the Local Authority that we moved to I continued as an unpaid carer for a young man with attachment difficulties, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, challenging behaviour and a learning disability. This is the same young man that I originally fostered.

Shared Lives is the adult equivalent of fostering. I continued to care for the young person whom I had fostered, including supporting his complex needs.

I was a Foster Carer for a young person with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour until he turned 18 and transferred to adult services.

All-age special school (2-19 years) for children with severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, Autism Spectrum Conditions, challenging behaviour. Specialist school for communication. Whilst I was Headteacher we were the first non-maintained school in the North of England to gain the Team Teach Gold Standard Award for best practice in managing challenging behaviour.

I was a respite carer for a number of children and young people with severe learning difficulties who attended the school that I taught at. The short breaks that I could provide enabled families to have a break from caring and enabled some families to stay together and continue caring for their child/youngster at home.