How Can I Support You

Systemic Family Therapy

People can feel worried that the suggestion of “needing family therapy” could imply that there is something wrong with them as parents or with their family. Family therapy isn’t about looking for problems within families or blaming certain family members. However, it is about creating a safe place to explore current difficulties together, in a non-judgemental space. The aim is to make sense of the issues together and work in a collaborative way to utilise your existing strengths and resources to potentially find new ways of communicating and being with each other.

Difficult periods in family life can often occur at key “life cycle” events such as after birth, when children leave home or when parents require more care as they age. When families experience unexpected challenges during such periods can also lead to distress. I hope to facilitate opportunities for you to have different types of conversations with each other to support change and improve relationships.

Families may also be recommended to attend family therapy from family courts or by other agencies. Some families are also referred to me by agencies such as CAMHS teams or Social Services. As an experienced psychotherapist, I have many years of experience working with families with a wide range of difficulties including families within CAMHS (community CAMHS, specialist Eating Disorder CAMHS, Specialist CAMHS for Looked After Children and inpatient CAMHS services including Secure inpatient services). I have specific experience and interest in working with blended families, foster and adopted families, LGBT families, and donor-conceived families. I have also gained knowledge and experience working with families over the years regarding navigating differences in religious beliefs and culture within families.

Families may decide to self-refer for family therapy for help around specific issues in their family such as:

Worries about family relationships such as conflict, arguments, lack of communication

Parenting Issues

Recovering from the impact of traumatic events, violence or abuse

After bereavement/loss

Issues around divorce, separation or co-parenting

A breakdown in communication or contact

Worries about how to support family members with specific issues such as mental health issues such as anxiety, low mood, depression, deliberate self-harm or eating disorders.

Adjustment to chronic physical illness

Supporting family members with emotional or behaviour issues

When a family member has drug or alcohol issues

If families would like to think about how they can consider the needs of neurodiverse family members (such as ADHD and Autism)

Supporting People Through Divorce, Separation and Co-parenting

Systemic family therapy can be very beneficial to support families in navigating the challenges of separation, divorce, co-parenting and the formation of new “blended families”. I can offer support at various points within a family's journey through all these changes and transitions.

Sadly, many parents' relationships can seriously deteriorate during separation and divorce - and unfortunately, children can be caught up in the middle of parental disputes over childcare arrangements and contact.

I have a specific interest and training in working with parents with a high level of conflict post-separation or divorce. I am experienced in working with families where there is alleged parental alienation. Systemic Family Therapy is often the recommended therapy within family courts in the UK when there are high levels of conflict adversely impacting the children or alleged parental alienation.

My priority in this work is always to safeguard the well-being of the children by focusing on the children’s needs, resolving conflict, improving communication and supporting a healthy co-parenting arrangement. I also take self-referrals for this type of work and referrals from solicitors and other relevant agencies.

Systemic Couple Therapy

Sometimes one or both people may feel the relationship is at a crisis point and couples decide to attend more “preventively” to avoid future significant relationship difficulties.

Apart from providing couple therapy as a Systemic Family & Couple Psychotherapist, I have also undertaken additional specialist training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples. This is an evidence-based model grounded in attachment theory, social neuroscience and systemic ideas to support clients find a way through the challenges of their couple relationships. I am also experienced in working with LGBT couples and those who want to explore the impact of different cultural and religious belief systems.

Couples may decide to come to therapy for a range of reasons such as the following.

Difficulties in intimate relationships such as high levels of conflict, criticism, feeling stuck in repetitive arguments or distressing patterns of interaction with one another.

When there are issues of infidelity and a loss of trust.

When couples are trying to manage the impact of fertility issues.

Managing differences in ideas over starting a family or making other significant life decisions.

Managing significant transitions such as becoming parents, taking on caring responsibilities, navigating illness, retirement or redundancy.

When couples are struggling to have any intimacy, physical closeness or sexual desire with one another.

When a partner is struggling with low mood, depression, other mental health difficulties, or substance misuse.

When couples require support to recover following traumatic events, violence or abuse.

Issues of historical trauma for either of the partners which may impact the relationship.

Issues relating to neurodiversity which the couple would like to explore further.

Supporting Children and Young People

I have over 20 years of experience working within CAMHS services, working with children and young people with a range of emotional and mental health difficulties. I am passionate about working therapeutically with children and young people to enable them to recover from their struggles, regain self-confidence and flourish in their lives. I use a high level of skill in engaging with children and young people with a range of challenges, especially those who are anxious or reluctant to engage in therapy initially. I am skilled in using various therapeutic and creative techniques as well as creating an inviting and relaxed therapy space for children and young people to feel comfortable in. I am trained in specific evidence based models for working with children and young people with eating disorders, depression and deliberate self-harm. I am also trained in an attachment based model for children who have had disrupted early development. Please see more on my additional clinical training here.

Systemic psychotherapy is a NICE-recommended and evidence-based treatment for children and young people with a range of difficulties including the following:

Recovery from child abuse and neglect.

Effects of trauma such as domestic violence and abuse.

Anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders.

Low mood, depression and self-harm

Behaviour problems

Sexuality and gender issues

Support around neurodiversity

Somatic problems including functional abdominal pain and the management of chronic medical conditions

Impact of separation, divorce and stepfamily life

Issues for children in foster or kinship care

Support for adopted children

Illness and disability in the family

Drug and alcohol misuse

Bereavement and loss

Individual Therapy

I offer individual psychotherapy to individuals for a range of difficulties that could benefit from a systemic approach including the following:

Current relationship difficulties

Recovery from historic relationship difficulties (eg intimate partner violence and abuse)

Separation, divorce and stepfamily life

The effects of trauma

Issues around sexuality/gender

Issues with work stress and burn-out

Eating disorders

Anxiety disorders

Depression, low mood, self-harm

Drug and alcohol misuse

Physical illness, death, dying and bereavement

Issues with work stress and burn-out

Clinical Supervision and Staff Support

As an Approved Systemic Supervisor, I offer individual and group supervision to systemic psychotherapists, trainees and other professionals requiring supervision of their work with families and couples. I also offer personal learning therapy for students completing their systemic training.

I am also trained in Compassion-Focused Staff Support and experienced in providing Reflective Practice Groups for clinical staff.

Clinical services and training to other agencies

I am experienced in providing specialist systemic consultation and therapy services to other agencies including residential child care providers, fostering agencies and inpatient units.

I am experienced in undertaking court assessments and providing mandated therapy.

I am a very experienced clinical lecturer and trainer and I can offer bespoke training to staff and students.

As a qualified and approved systemic supervisor I can provide both individual or group clinical staff supervision.

I am trained and experienced in delivering a range of staff support including Reflective Practice Groups and Compassion Focused Staff Support.

Get in touch

Please contact me using the form below if you have any questions or to arrange an initial consultation. You can also book a session by clicking here.

Frequently asked questions

Psychotherapists undergo a four-year, postgraduate, in-depth and experiential training in how to work with a variety of people with a wide range of emotional distress, mental health issues and difficulties. Psychotherapists are trained in one or more psychotherapy approaches. (UKCP)

I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) and therefore bound by their guidelines as well as my professional bodies (UKCP & AFT). I have a separate privacy policy which I will need you to read and agree to at the start of therapy. The content of our sessions is confidential but there are limits of confidentiality to ensure clients safety and I will discuss these with you at our first meeting. If I work with family members/individuals separately and together I will not share information with you without gaining consent first. Parents need to appreciate that their child(ren) may need a confidential space where information is not shared, and this is similar for couples.

To ensure your safety, monitor my practice and in line with my professional registration, I receive regular clinical supervision but no identifying information about clients is shared with my supervisors.

I am a member of the UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) and AFT (Association for Family Therapy & Systemic Practice). The high standards of the UKCP register are accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. I am bound by these professional bodies' codes of ethics and practice and subject to their complaint procedures. This includes adhering to their strict standards of clinical supervision of my practice and continued professional development.

The frequency and duration of the therapy will depend on the type of difficulty or problem you are facing and therefore is difficult to anticipate. Generally, I don't see people every week on a long-term basis as it is beneficial for you to have time in between appointments to practice being different with one another.

I may offer weekly or fortnightly sessions to start with to initiate some changes, then sessions may become less frequent. Some people prefer to work with an open contract, whereas others prefer to work with a fixed number of sessions, followed by a review, this is your choice.

powered by WebHealer

Systemic, Family and Couple Psychotherapy