I began my career as a therapist working in Relate as a couple counsellor, specialising in domestic violence and sexual abuse. During my seven years with Relate, I worked as a supervisor in a Relate centre and a trainer on the Relate counselling certificate programme for three years. Prior to this, I had been teaching children with special educational needs and tutoring adults in English language. Supporting children who often had emotional and behavioural difficulties and completing an MAEd focusing on learning difficulties raised my awareness of how family discord and marital difficulties affected child development. This led me to volunteer as a counsellor in a service for young people and to my career in Relate. It also led me to pursue my interest in developmental issues by becoming an associate lecturer with the Open University on an undergraduate psychology module in child development.

My interest in relational approaches to clinical practice fitted well with the philosophy of counselling psychology, and while completing my training at UEL, qualifying in 2003, I broadened my experience, working in an EAP and in the NHS. As a chartered psychologist in adult mental health, I have experience of doing individual, couple and group therapy in both primary and secondary care contexts and supervising graduate mental health workers, counsellors and trainees. My role has involved developing a CBT group intervention for clients presenting with anxiety disorders, as part of an initiative to improve both the range of services and client choice, and reduce waiting time for treatment. I am currently working in private practice.

I was a member of the BPS Training Committee in Counselling Psychology for three years. This helped to keep me aware of developments in clinical practice and the wider context within which our programme must compete.

• Placement co-ordinator
• Module leader

Our programme aims to support trainees in developing sound clinical skills and a professional identity as a counselling psychologist. To this end, their experience on placement is fundamental to providing a model of good practice and optimising their learning. As placement co-ordinator, I am particularly interested in continuing to make links with local placement providers who are sympathetic to our philosophy and keen to promote excellence. Maintaining communication with supervisors and placement providers is crucial to identifying problems at an early stage and providing support to overcome these. Finding placements suitable for first-year trainees with little clinical experience is also an on-going challenge.

Whilst my initial training was psychodynamic, I also practise CBT, using a relational approach, reflecting recent developments in the model. I am particularly interested in process issues and the role of the therapeutic relationship as a vehicle for facilitating change. Raising trainees’ awareness of process issues in workshops and role-play is an important aspect of their learning on the programme, preparing them to manage and overcome difficulties with clients.

• Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology

• PYM301: Clinical Skills
• PYM302: Theoretical models
• PYM303: Clinical Skills
• PYM305: Professional, Clinical and Ethical Issues
• Theme 10: Advanced Clinical Skills
• Theme 11: Integrating Theory, Research and Practice

I am involved in a funded research project looking at the psychological impact of unemployment on young people.

I am interested in the impact on their professional practice of ‘therapists’ understandings of domestic violence and abuse and in particular how notions of ‘victimhood’ and ‘relatedness’ are spoken about.