“Thank you for giving me back my life” are the most rewarding and humbling words said to me professionally.
They express what motivates me as a psychologist and the reason why I established my private practice in 1992 and later Vivant Artemis Critical Incident Consultancy in 2002, to offer professional guidance in times of crisis.
Registered with the UK Healthcare Professions Council and an Associate Fellow and Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society, I am accountable to their standards and criteria.
Awarded B.Sc (Hons) Psychology in 1980 and a Ph.D. in 1990 (jointly supervised by Oxford University and the University of Hertfordshire), I also hold qualifications in Integrative Psychotherapy, Clinical Hypnosis and EMDR (treatment for psychological trauma).
Personal analysis and 4 years studying Jungian Analytical Psychology gave me a deep appreciation of the healing potential held in the unconscious mind and the importance of understanding yourself before working with others. As Jung said, “Only if the doctor knows how to cope with himself and his own problems will he be able to teach the patient to do the same.”
These wise words also guided me into a regular practice of yoga and meditation. The personal impact of my practice inspired me to study the influence of yoga and meditation on mental health (The Minded Yoga Therapy Professional Training) and learn how I might incorporate these understandings practically in my work as a psychologist.
I am security and enhanced DBS (formerly CRB) cleared.
Before establishing my private practice, I had experience working in academic, hospital and business settings.