My core profession is psychotherapy but most of my current work is teaching undergraduate forensic psychology and providing supervision and training for individuals and teams across a wide range of settings. I am an accredited member of the BACP.
I first trained as an integrative counsellor in 2004 sand went on to specialise in grief work. I have since obtained a MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice, a BSc in Addictions Counselling and post grad qualifications in Supervision and CBT. I have held a variety of therapy/supervision posts (Senior Psychological Therapist for Somerset NHS FoundationTrust, Supervisor for The Forward Trust addiction counselling teams, Supervisor and Trainer for Cruse Bereavement Care, Trainer for Macmillan Cancer Support) and have an adult teaching qualification.
Until 2020 I was unit leader in 3 MI units and 2 CBT units on the University of Bath's Addictions Counselling BSc organised in conjunction with the charity Action on Addiction. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic meant the work-based element of the degree could not be fulfilled and the programme was closed. However, I feel very fortunate to have found another teaching role as a lecturer in forensic psychology at The Open University drawing on my experience as a former prison-based counsellor for the NHS. MI is the basis of all my supervision and counselling practice as it can be easily incorporated into any approach. It is especially useful in my work with teams in addiction, eating disorders and other health-related settings and with students.
I have had the privilege of working with many organisations/places over the years including prisons, primary care (NHS), addiction rehabilitation centres, national charities and universities. I have trained in various psychological therapies and use an integrative approach that always has MI at its heart. This is simply because MI has always proven to be the most consistently effective way of working to help people achieve the emotional and behavioural changes they want to make.
As an MI trainer, I have trained teams of nurses, GPs and physical and psychological therapists, addiction treatment specialists and key workers and support workers in a wide variety of settings. I have trained prison-based teams, fellow MI trainers, natural and complementary health specialists and school/university staff. The satisfaction scores are high - not because of me specifically but because of the fundamental usefulness of MI no matter what the situation is.
I offer one-to-one and group training/coaching for all levels - from taster trainings to advanced practice. I provide low cost trainings for non-profit/charity organisations.
