Family Therapy

Psychological support can aid the child, adult and families. I offer family mediation with a focus of support to improving relationships within families, reduce stress and avoid family breakdown.

I encourage direct referrals from parents / carers and can support you with various issues. I also accept referrals (with your consent) from agencies and professionals such as schools, employers, social care and GP’s.

Family issues and challenges are common and using a systemic approach to support the whole family can be useful. The challenges, which affect family life, may be as a result of illness, relationship issues or disabilities. Sometimes the difficulties you and / or your child are experiencing may be linked to a recent life event or something ongoing. A counselling psychologist can assist you to identify and explore issues and formulate a plan to overcome them.

My research interests are within families who have a child with learning disabilities. Research suggests that when a child has a learning disability, the rate of disturbance in families rises, with reported high levels of stress and distress occurring. I also have experience with families where children have become what is known as 'looked after' i.e. lived in care or been fostered.

The most significant approaches I have used with families has been to help them communicate with each other and to understand where conflict is arising (especially with older children / teens in the house). Additionally, when there are mental health conditions, health issues or marital difficulties, mediation can be beneficial.

Depending on the circumstances and needs of you and your family, we may meet as a group or as individuals initially. I may also suggest working with siblings and parents individually and then bringing the group together. The flow of the support will be discussed and agreed together. I will use assessments with you to monitor progress and help us indentify aims and issues.

Please Note: I accept referrals when they are funded and initiated by organisations. This includes educational settings, private health and social care services, charities, social care, NHS, Civil Services and Insurance Companies. I am not currently accepting self-referred cases from individual families, parents or children.