Leading monthly Walk & Talks and various wellbeing retreats in the community. Delivering mindfulness retreats and events in schools (for both students and staff) and for corporate organisations.

My core training is in Psychosynthesis, an integrative approach which incorporates psychodynamic, humanistic and transpersonal modalities. Psychosynthesis helps clients look at all areas of their life, which may well be fragmented, and aims to bring synthesis to their psyche and enable them to more fully express themselves. But, more than that, it allows them to uncover and realise a vision that comes from deep within to find meaning and purpose. Psychosynthesis draws on a diverse range of techniques drawn from other therapeutic approaches, including gestalt therapy, CBT, guided imagery, art therapy, meditation and mindfulness.From my solid, traditional counselling foundation I was subsequently drawn to train in Life Coaching and energy therapies such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Reiki, and Theta Healing, in order to offer tailored and holistic support to every individual.My private practice has seen me working with young people and adults from all walks of life. I have worked with a diverse range of issues but am particularly interested in identity, trauma, and abuse.Alongside my private practice, I have also worked in various settings providing counselling support, management and consultancy to community services, the NHS, schools and further education establishments.

Most recently I have been working independently with schools to deliver psycho-educational workshops to students.I have also been working in collaboration with Nuthatch Consultants, delivering suicide and self-harm prevention workshops to various organisations.One of my main freelance research relationships was with Youth Access, the national membership organisation for young people’s information, advice and counselling services (YIACS). Their work ensures that links are fostered and sustained between the different sectors impacting on their members’ work with young people. I have worked on behalf of Youth Access on a number of research projects, including:• 2017-2020 - ‘National Study of Youth Counselling in Community Based Settings’. The quantitative part of the study was conducted by British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).My report was a thematic analysis drawn from the qualitative element of the CHI Experience of Service Questionnaires, published in 2020• 2015 - facilitation of NHS England and Youth Access’ Children and Young People’s Mental Health Takeover Event, which brought together a group of young people and senior NHS decision-makers for a youth-led day of discussion, activities and debate to inform Government policy-making• 2015 - delivery of training sessions with staff within schools to communicate what is on offer in CAMHS and wellbeing services to support young people around mental health, inform on how to access/refer, discuss opportunities for aligning and improving impact, share perspectives on issues/priorities, and reflect on collaborative opportunities• 2014 - creation of a ‘VCS to Young People’s Mental Health’ workshop for delivery on the Core Skills module of the CYP IAPT training; CAMHS minimum dataset guidance for VCS• 2013 - published paper entitled ‘Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Youth Counselling Services and CYP IAPT – Understanding the Role and Contribution of Youth Counselling Services’

I birthed Off The Record Sutton in early 2013, with Comic Relief funding. In 2015 I led the service into the Sutton Alliance partnership, alongside South West London and St George’s Trust and Jigsaw4U. Sutton Alliance provides the Tier 2 CAMHS service in the borough. In 2016, through Local Transformation Funding, I expanded the service further to offer a self-referral pathway and drop-in service.Managerial responsibilities:· overall management and development of the service, including policies and procedures· line management of counsellors, mental health practitioners and administrators· proactive liaison and networking within the borough, including Tier 3 CAMHS, Sutton Uplift (adult services), MHSTs, EWPs, Social Services, local GPs, schools, Sutton CVS and other voluntary sector organisations· ensuring that procedures and practices within the service are consistent with safeguarding responsibilities and appropriate ethical frameworks e.g. BACP and Youth Access· ensuring the service works within an equalities and diversity framework· maintaining accurate qual and quant outcomes and using this to compile reports and statistics for existing and potential funders· monitoring and evaluation, and actively integrating user feedback into the development of the service· undertaking direct promotion and publicity of the organisation’s services· service recruitment and training of new staffClinical responsibilities:· Safeguarding Lead· screening referrals, managing pathways and waiting lists· maintaining a clinical caseload, including carrying out initial assessments, holding sessions, working with clients in crisis and more complex or higher-risk cases, and ongoing counselling support· maintaining clinical records on our internal systems as well as on the NHS IAPTus database for Sutton Alliance clients· clinical supervision for counsellors and wellbeing practitioners· development and facilitation of therapeutic groups and psycho-educational workshops

‘I feel - U feel’ was a new initiative which focused on building empathy in children as a protective factor for future non-involvement in violence and gangs.This pioneering, preventative work included: awareness-raising sessions for teachers and for parents / carers; one-off workshops for classes of primary school children; six week group-work programmes for small, targeted groups of Year 5 & Year 6 children; and one-to-one interventions with young people.I headed up a team of project workers from ‘Off The Record Croydon’ and ‘Lives Not Knives’, who joined forces to develop and deliver this exciting and innovative Home Office funded programme. ‘Off The Record Croydon’ is an established and highly regarded local service that has been offering a range of free, confidential support services to young people in Croydon for 25 years. ‘Lives Not Knives’ campaigns to prevent pre-teens from carrying a knife and is dedicated to working with young people to warn and guide them away from criminality and gang membership.

‘Off The Record Croydon’ is an established and highly regarded local service that has been offering a range of free, confidential support services to young people in Croydon for 25 years.In addition to counselling, I developed and facilitated therapeutic workshops for young people. I also initiated, co-ordinated and delivered a weekly open access service which enabled clients and other young people within our remit to access immediate support and counselling without an appointment.

The Young Carers Project is a free, friendly and professional service, offering support to young people (aged 7-25) who care for a parent or sibling with a physical disability, mental health issue, long-term illness or learning difficulty.My counselling work included both young people (in school or on our premises) and parents (in home or at our premises). I also developed and ran therapeutic workshops and groups within the project.As part of this role I developed and delivered presentations to highlight parental mental health and its impact on young people, for teachers and other education professionals, in conjunction with CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH.INTELLIGENT INSPIRATION.Qual specialists, with an in-house recruitment agency and a long history of public and commercial sector work.Answering tricky questions by getting close to the issues: joining a night on the town to understand drinking behaviour; bussing shoppers to different stores to compare layouts; asking kids to show us their tooth-brushing routine; creative workshops with senior executives; we can go on… An eclectic mix of clients, from the NHS to L’Oreal, the Guardian to PC World, the Home Office to Portuguese Cork

Qualitative research specialists with an in-house recruitment agency and a long history of public and commercial sector work. As a Senior Researcher I managed projects, conducted focus groups and interviewed all levels of respondents, from Chief Executives of National and International organisations, through to people on benefits. Clients included Home Office, Department of Health, the Guardian, Tommy's, PC World, NHS and Army. I also headed up the international department, managing and conducting research for clients such as L'Oreal, Ralph Lauren, Peugeot, Lexus, Jean Paul Gaultier and Cacharel. I was also the agency's young person specialist.