Dr Pamela Parker, Director, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Pamela qualified in clinical psychology from the University of East Anglia in 2009. Since then she worked full time with children, young people and families in NHS and Local Authority settings. Until December 2019 she held a consultant grade post leading a team of clinicians working with care experienced children and their families, and children with learning disabilities.
She currently works full time in private practice offering psychological assessment, therapy, supervision, training and expert witness work for family court.
Pamela has a particular interest in working with children and families who have experienced adversity and traumatic events. She particularly enjoys working with care experienced children, young people, their networks and families. She has extensive experience supervising and consulting to professionals who provide services for this client group.
Since qualifying in 2009. Pamela has undertaken additional training in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, Systemic Practice, Clinical Supervision and Public Sector Leadership. She has formal training in the assessment of parent-child relationships.
Pamela understands that making contact to seek help may feel like a big step. It is absolutely fine to just call or email to discuss whether this would be the right service for you.
Pamela is a chartered member of the British Psychological Society (293591). She is registered with The Health and Care Professionals Council (PYL25060)
Research & Publications:
Parker P. (2016) Safeguarding Children with Disabilities. In: Smith L. (eds) Clinical Practice at the Edge of Care. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Parker, P., & McLaven, G. (2018). ‘We all belonged in there somewhere’: young people’s and carers’ experiences of a residential sibling contact event. Adoption & Fostering, 42(2), 108-121.
Bowden, G. E., Smith, J. C. E., Parker, P. A., & Boxall, M. J. C. (2015). Working on the edge: Stresses and rewards of work in a front‐line mental health service. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 22(6), 488-501
Pamela qualified in clinical psychology from the University of East Anglia in 2009. Since then she worked full time with children, young people and families in NHS and Local Authority settings. Until December 2019 she held a consultant grade post leading a team of clinicians working with care experienced children and their families, and children with learning disabilities.
She currently works full time in private practice offering psychological assessment, therapy, supervision, training and expert witness work for family court.
Pamela has a particular interest in working with children and families who have experienced adversity and traumatic events. She particularly enjoys working with care experienced children, young people, their networks and families. She has extensive experience supervising and consulting to professionals who provide services for this client group.
Since qualifying in 2009. Pamela has undertaken additional training in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, Systemic Practice, Clinical Supervision and Public Sector Leadership. She has formal training in the assessment of parent-child relationships.
Pamela understands that making contact to seek help may feel like a big step. It is absolutely fine to just call or email to discuss whether this would be the right service for you.
Pamela is a chartered member of the British Psychological Society (293591). She is registered with The Health and Care Professionals Council (PYL25060)
Research & Publications:
Parker P. (2016) Safeguarding Children with Disabilities. In: Smith L. (eds) Clinical Practice at the Edge of Care. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Parker, P., & McLaven, G. (2018). ‘We all belonged in there somewhere’: young people’s and carers’ experiences of a residential sibling contact event. Adoption & Fostering, 42(2), 108-121.
Bowden, G. E., Smith, J. C. E., Parker, P. A., & Boxall, M. J. C. (2015). Working on the edge: Stresses and rewards of work in a front‐line mental health service. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 22(6), 488-501
Dr Roland Casson
Clinical Psychologist
Roland is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years experience working with children, young people and adults in NHS and Local Authority settings.
Until recently he led a specialist multidisciplinary team working with young people at risk of hospital admission or residential care as a consequence of severe challenging behaviour. Most of his work has been with children, young people and adults with neurodevelopmental diagnoses such as learning disability or autism.
He is used to working with individuals, their families and professional networks, in complex multi-agency contexts, in order to support change around mental health, challenging behaviour, and inclusion.
Roland is able to offer psychological assessment, therapy, supervision, consultation and training.
He is used to working flexibly and creatively to find an approach that works best for young people
and their families. Roland draws on a range of evidence based psychological approaches including
Positive Behaviour Support, Systemic Practice, Community Psychology, Cognitive-Behavioural
Therapy and Person-Centred Planning.
Since qualifying from the University of Hertfordshire in 2004, Roland has undertaken further
training in Systemic Practice (postgraduate certificate, Anglia Ruskin University), Group Work
(Institute of Group Analysis), Person Centred Planning (Inclusive Solutions), Public Sector
Leadership (Tavistock Institute), Neuropsychological and Autism assessment, and Clinical
Supervision. He has been a CLAHRC fellow and continues to work with the NIHR Applied
Research Collaboration on supporting implementation of best practice around challenging
behaviour.
Roland is a member of the British Psychological Society (84470) and is registered with the Health
and Care Professions Council (PYL04965) and Disclosure & Barring Update Service (DBS).
Clinical Psychologist
Roland is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years experience working with children, young people and adults in NHS and Local Authority settings.
Until recently he led a specialist multidisciplinary team working with young people at risk of hospital admission or residential care as a consequence of severe challenging behaviour. Most of his work has been with children, young people and adults with neurodevelopmental diagnoses such as learning disability or autism.
He is used to working with individuals, their families and professional networks, in complex multi-agency contexts, in order to support change around mental health, challenging behaviour, and inclusion.
Roland is able to offer psychological assessment, therapy, supervision, consultation and training.
He is used to working flexibly and creatively to find an approach that works best for young people
and their families. Roland draws on a range of evidence based psychological approaches including
Positive Behaviour Support, Systemic Practice, Community Psychology, Cognitive-Behavioural
Therapy and Person-Centred Planning.
Since qualifying from the University of Hertfordshire in 2004, Roland has undertaken further
training in Systemic Practice (postgraduate certificate, Anglia Ruskin University), Group Work
(Institute of Group Analysis), Person Centred Planning (Inclusive Solutions), Public Sector
Leadership (Tavistock Institute), Neuropsychological and Autism assessment, and Clinical
Supervision. He has been a CLAHRC fellow and continues to work with the NIHR Applied
Research Collaboration on supporting implementation of best practice around challenging
behaviour.
Roland is a member of the British Psychological Society (84470) and is registered with the Health
and Care Professions Council (PYL04965) and Disclosure & Barring Update Service (DBS).
Jennifer Summer
Senior Systemic Psychotherapist and Supervisor
Jennifer has over 30 years’ experience working with children and families in the NHS, Children’s Social Care and private practice. She worked for 20 years in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinic with families where child abuse and neglect were the main issues identified at referral. She also undertook private expert witness assessments for the court.
Jennifer has combined her clinical work with a training role and currently holds the position of Principal Tutor and Head of Learning in a Systemic Social Work organisation.
She is qualified as a Systemic Supervisor and offers individual and group supervision, as well as consultation to managers, social workers and family therapists.
For eight years, Jennifer worked in Children’s Social Care as a family therapist clinician in the
Safeguarding team and in the Fostering service. She is keen to support any family in thinking about
how systemic approaches might introduce some difference to challenging life situations and to
support them with thinking about how they can achieve change.
Jennifer is registered with the Association of Family Therapy (AFT) and the United Kingdom Council
for Psychotherapy (UKCP) as a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist. She has an MSc. in Systemic and
Family Psychotherapy (The Institute of Family Therapy and Birkbeck College, London) and an
Advanced Diploma in the Supervision and Teaching of Family and Systemic Psychotherapy (The
Institute of Family Therapy).
Publications:
Summer, J. (2014) The Application of Family Therapy Principles in a Professional and Family Network
Meeting. Context: Issue 131
Summer, J. (2015) Live Supervision and ‘The Team Without the Screen’: A Home-Based Approach to
Training Social Workers in Systemic Practice. Context: Issue 139dit.
Dr Rachel Watson
Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist
Rachel is an experienced systemic family psychotherapist, supervisor, trainer, and leader. She has over 25 years experience working in the public, private and voluntary sector, with adults and children. Rachel has extensive experience working sensitively and collaboratively with families and individuals experiencing distress.
Alongside clinical work, Rachel offers clinical supervision, consultation to individuals, groups and teams. Throughout her career to date, Rachel has looked to develop innovative approaches to address organisational service dilemmas. She has successfully delivered a number of projects looking to increase access to services for different groups of people and invite collaborative effective responses by services. She is interested in working with situations of high complexity, and with consideration of power structures and contexts.
Rachel is registered with The Association of Family Therapy (AFT) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) as a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist. She holds an MSc in Systemic and Family Psychotherapy (IFT/University of London), a Postgraduate Diploma: Systemic Supervision, Teaching and Training (KCC/University of Bedford) and a Doctorate in Systemic Psychotherapy (Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust –University of East London).
Rachel is the Director of the Institute of Family Therapy in London.
Publications:
Watson, R. (2018) Jointly created authority: a conversation analysis of how power is managed by parents and systemic psychotherapists in children’s social care. Journal of Family Therapy Early release: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12244
Watson, R. (2018) Familiar ideas for changing times, our Cambridgeshire experience continued: using ‘approach, method, technique’ to address innovation and sustainability. Context. Issue 159 pp. 9-13.
Wood, S. and Watson, R. (2014) Cambridgeshire Safer Families: The story so far. Context. Issue 131, pp17-20.
Caviston, P and Watson, R. (2006) “Welcome the coming and speed the going”: hospitality in an in-patient setting. Context.
Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist
Rachel is an experienced systemic family psychotherapist, supervisor, trainer, and leader. She has over 25 years experience working in the public, private and voluntary sector, with adults and children. Rachel has extensive experience working sensitively and collaboratively with families and individuals experiencing distress.
Alongside clinical work, Rachel offers clinical supervision, consultation to individuals, groups and teams. Throughout her career to date, Rachel has looked to develop innovative approaches to address organisational service dilemmas. She has successfully delivered a number of projects looking to increase access to services for different groups of people and invite collaborative effective responses by services. She is interested in working with situations of high complexity, and with consideration of power structures and contexts.
Rachel is registered with The Association of Family Therapy (AFT) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) as a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist. She holds an MSc in Systemic and Family Psychotherapy (IFT/University of London), a Postgraduate Diploma: Systemic Supervision, Teaching and Training (KCC/University of Bedford) and a Doctorate in Systemic Psychotherapy (Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust –University of East London).
Rachel is the Director of the Institute of Family Therapy in London.
Publications:
Watson, R. (2018) Jointly created authority: a conversation analysis of how power is managed by parents and systemic psychotherapists in children’s social care. Journal of Family Therapy Early release: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12244
Watson, R. (2018) Familiar ideas for changing times, our Cambridgeshire experience continued: using ‘approach, method, technique’ to address innovation and sustainability. Context. Issue 159 pp. 9-13.
Wood, S. and Watson, R. (2014) Cambridgeshire Safer Families: The story so far. Context. Issue 131, pp17-20.
Caviston, P and Watson, R. (2006) “Welcome the coming and speed the going”: hospitality in an in-patient setting. Context.
Sharon Kenny, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Child and Adolescent Mental health
DDP Practitioner in Training, Systemic Practitioner, VIG Guider.
Sharon has over 20 years’ experience of working therapeutically with children and families in NHS CAMHS and in Children’s Social Care. She specialises in relational interventions for families with developmentally traumatised and care experienced children.
Sharon considers the child’s relationship with their parents/carers to be the most important factor in their recovery from early adversity and the key to progress in their social and emotional development.
She offers Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy informed sessions (www.ddpnetwork.org) to parents who maybe feeling discouraged in their efforts to offer a stable and loving home to their child.
Sharon begins work with parents to develop a deep understanding of their child, their relationship with the child and how that relates to their own life experiences. She supports parents to therapeutically parent their child with PACE (www.ddpnetwork.org/about-ddp/meant-pace/). PACEful parenting helps the child become less reliant on defensive survival strategies and to connect positively with their parents and embrace the joys of social engagement and learning.
Sharon joins the wider professional network around the child as required to ensure that her approach is joined up and fits well with multi-agency plans.
She aims for sessions to reflect the PACE approach with an atmosphere of Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. Sessions may involve play, telling and creating stories, using video to share and celebrate positive moments (VIG), movement, mindfulness and attending to sensory systems.
Sharon is registered with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) and a member of the Royal College of Nursing. She has a MSc (M19) that applies psycho-analytic principles to front line nursing and social work
from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and Middlesex University. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Systemic Practice from the Institute of Family Therapy and Birkbeck college, University of London. She is an
accredited Video Interaction Guider (AVIG UK). Sharon is working towards level 3 DDP accreditation.
DDP Practitioner in Training, Systemic Practitioner, VIG Guider.
Sharon has over 20 years’ experience of working therapeutically with children and families in NHS CAMHS and in Children’s Social Care. She specialises in relational interventions for families with developmentally traumatised and care experienced children.
Sharon considers the child’s relationship with their parents/carers to be the most important factor in their recovery from early adversity and the key to progress in their social and emotional development.
She offers Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy informed sessions (www.ddpnetwork.org) to parents who maybe feeling discouraged in their efforts to offer a stable and loving home to their child.
Sharon begins work with parents to develop a deep understanding of their child, their relationship with the child and how that relates to their own life experiences. She supports parents to therapeutically parent their child with PACE (www.ddpnetwork.org/about-ddp/meant-pace/). PACEful parenting helps the child become less reliant on defensive survival strategies and to connect positively with their parents and embrace the joys of social engagement and learning.
Sharon joins the wider professional network around the child as required to ensure that her approach is joined up and fits well with multi-agency plans.
She aims for sessions to reflect the PACE approach with an atmosphere of Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. Sessions may involve play, telling and creating stories, using video to share and celebrate positive moments (VIG), movement, mindfulness and attending to sensory systems.
Sharon is registered with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) and a member of the Royal College of Nursing. She has a MSc (M19) that applies psycho-analytic principles to front line nursing and social work
from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and Middlesex University. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Systemic Practice from the Institute of Family Therapy and Birkbeck college, University of London. She is an
accredited Video Interaction Guider (AVIG UK). Sharon is working towards level 3 DDP accreditation.
Lori Barton, Social Worker specialist in working with traumatised children. Lori's practice is DDP and Theraplay informed. She holds a diploma in systemic practice.
Lori has over 14 years experience of working therapeutically with children and families in children's social care and the private sector.
Lori offers a range of therapeutic parenting packages. Therapeutic parenting is designed for parents and carers who care for children who have experienced developmental trauma or childhood adversity. It is a nurturing way to parent a child and is underpinned by Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). This approach allows parents and carers to get beyond the defences and blocked trust of children in their care by developing an attitude of Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. It helps parents and carers to understand and respond to the impact of trauma, develop an understanding of their child's behaviours, allowing the child to begin to self-regulate and form safe connections.
Lori uses Betsy De Thierry Trauma recovery model to guide her work. She seeks to stabilise the family dynamics and improve connections, support parents and carers to understand the PACE approach, behaviour management and the affects of trauma. She will help identify ways to co-regulate and support you to develop the child's understanding of their behaviour to work towards self-regulation and increase their window of tolerance. She will also look at self care for parents and carers and empower them through the healing process.
Lori is a registered social worker with the Health & Care Professionals Council (HCPC).
Mary Read: Specialist Occupational Therapist
Mary is a highly experienced occupational therapist (OT) with a substantial career within health, education and social care. Mary developed her interest in working with children and families over 20 years ago and has continued to upgrade and refine her professional skills and training since then.
Mary is the director of an independent occupational therapy practice, Take Part OT Limited.
Since 2016 Mary has provided specialist OT services to both independent specialist schools for young autistic people and their families and has regular on ongoing contracts within two local county special schools. Mary also works within mainstream education settings and in family homes with individual young people with sensory and/or regulation difficulties which impact their lives.
Mary is an advanced practitioner in Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) having achieved a level 4 post-graduate certificate from the University of Ulster in 2019. Mary is combining her expert knowledge of sensory integration with that of trauma and attachment by completing the Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) pathway and has completed the foundation module in 2020. An area of increasing interest for Mary is the regulating and sensory benefit to wellbeing in outdoor spaces in nature. To this effect, Mary has trained as a certified Eco Sensory Practitioner, completed in October 2021.
Mary offers clinical supervision for staff who are developing their own practice in these fields and provides training and workshops in a variety of settings.
It is in understanding the fundamental neurological basis of our body’s capacity to manage both internal and external demands that drives Mary to work with children, young people and those around them. The body’s natural innate capacity to stay safe and to adapt enables us to use sensory based activity to maintain balance and get on with the lives we want to live in a way we would like to. This principle underpins Mary’s practice.
Mary is a registered occupational therapist with The Health Care Professionals Council ( OT14811) and The Royal College of Occupational Therapists ( BT0030714). She is a member of Sensory Integration Education and has an enhanced DBS certificate.
Mary is a highly experienced occupational therapist (OT) with a substantial career within health, education and social care. Mary developed her interest in working with children and families over 20 years ago and has continued to upgrade and refine her professional skills and training since then.
Mary is the director of an independent occupational therapy practice, Take Part OT Limited.
Since 2016 Mary has provided specialist OT services to both independent specialist schools for young autistic people and their families and has regular on ongoing contracts within two local county special schools. Mary also works within mainstream education settings and in family homes with individual young people with sensory and/or regulation difficulties which impact their lives.
Mary is an advanced practitioner in Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) having achieved a level 4 post-graduate certificate from the University of Ulster in 2019. Mary is combining her expert knowledge of sensory integration with that of trauma and attachment by completing the Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) pathway and has completed the foundation module in 2020. An area of increasing interest for Mary is the regulating and sensory benefit to wellbeing in outdoor spaces in nature. To this effect, Mary has trained as a certified Eco Sensory Practitioner, completed in October 2021.
Mary offers clinical supervision for staff who are developing their own practice in these fields and provides training and workshops in a variety of settings.
It is in understanding the fundamental neurological basis of our body’s capacity to manage both internal and external demands that drives Mary to work with children, young people and those around them. The body’s natural innate capacity to stay safe and to adapt enables us to use sensory based activity to maintain balance and get on with the lives we want to live in a way we would like to. This principle underpins Mary’s practice.
Mary is a registered occupational therapist with The Health Care Professionals Council ( OT14811) and The Royal College of Occupational Therapists ( BT0030714). She is a member of Sensory Integration Education and has an enhanced DBS certificate.