About me and my work
About me and my work
A little about me.
I was born into a working class family in central London in the late 1940s. A survivor of numerous illnesses , alcoholic parenting, sexual and other abuse, a large number of accidents and injuries, mental health drugs and services, fostering and care homes, I had a difficult, chequered, chaotic childhood and adolescence which has, obviously, been formative.
I went to several schools, none of which had high standards, but I became fascinated by learning and managed to make myself an education through contact with many intriguing people I found on my journey, my ‘midwives’ I now call them. I also learned much from my early involvement in political and pressure group, as well as charitable, campaigning and organising. This work has remained a feature of the whole of my adult life’
I had a number of jobs while at school and once I left, the most interesting of which were in rare book and print dealing in central London: I was eventually manager of a rare book shop in Bloomsbury before I went to train to teach, an early ambition.
I was happily married for twelve years and had two sons, now aged 37 and 32, and then, for the past 29 years, have shared a very rich and wonderful life with my male partner and now we share in the child care of his 6 year old son with two women friends, his mothers.
I am a keen writer, editor and communicator. I have exhibited and sold my photographs, sometimes had my poetry published, am a garden designer and a calligrapher at times. I remain a community and social activist involved in many social issues and causes internationally and have founded and chaired numerous organisations. I am usually an active committee member or chair of several at a time. I also really enjoy travelling and seeing life from completely different perspectives.
My working background
I have been privileged to spend my working life supporting people of all ages and backgrounds at points of growth and change in their lives. Twenty years of this was in the education and training sector where I was a teacher, school governor, Head of Department in a comprehensive school and an inner city college, a lecturer and manager as well as co-ordinator of one of the biggest Open College Networks in Britain. My last thirteen years in this very rewarding work was in Access education for adults, including design and delivery of the now much-used Access ‘kitemark’ from the National Open Colleges.
I have worked with infants, individuals with physical and learning difficulties, women offenders on long term sentences, people from many minority ethnic communities, primary & secondary schoolchildren, undergraduate and postgraduate students, Masters degree supervisees and older people in the University of the Third Age as well as with teachers, nurses, social workers, therapists, counsellors and others in training and practice.
I have worked in the charitable, public, private and voluntary sectors with individuals and groups, small and large. In addition I have extensive experience as a trainer, group leader, conference organiser and presenter, writer, broadcaster and editor.
I strongly believe that individuals, groups and whole communities can, and do, grow and change for the better. This, along with my fascination with how and what we learn and how we can unlearn what does not serve us well, in creative approaches to problems and painful experiences, has always motivated me and continues to do so. I love what I do for a living.
My present work
I started my own business in 1990 in order to work as an independent therapist and trainer, supervisor and consultant. I have relocated to live and work mainly in Hastings, East Sussex in recent years, though I continue my long associations with Spectrum and Pink Therapy in London and work all over the UK and elsewhere in training and consultancy.
I work with the full range of clients in counselling and therapy and on most issues, individually and with those in relationships, as well as in groups and workshops. I see individuals and those in relationships in my Hastings practice. I run a number of ongoing groups and regularly lead or co-lead workshops on specific topics including a regular cycle of training seminars in London for Pink Therapy. I specialise in working with clients from minority sexualities and with artists and performers, though my clients come from all walks of life, all ages and widely differing experience, with all kinds of issues they wish to tackle.
I am also a Clinical Associate Therapist with Pink Therapy, London – the largest specialist organisation working with sexual minority clients and those who work with them (see LINKS page) and I speak and write a good deal, as well as training other professionals, on the special issues affecting clients from these groups. With Dominic Davies, Founding Director of Pink Therapy Services, I co-edited the bestselling trilogy of training handbooks, also called ‘Pink Therapy’ (McGraw Hill 1996 and 2000). (See PUBLICATIONS Page).
Another substantial part of what I do is professional training and support for other therapists and counsellors and for professionals with ongoing responsibility for people as part of their work. This takes place in workshops and seminars, through supervision and through articles, books and conference presentations.
I am interested in working with small groups at work on teambuilding, communication skills, creative solutions to problem solving and related matters and have worked with a range of private and public organisations in this way.
All my work is totally confidential, supervised regularly and following several Codes of Ethics and Conduct, which I am happy to explain. I am a member of several professional bodies and in ongoing supervision, therapy and training myself. I am fully insured for professional liability.
My training and qualifications
I graduated from Spectrum training in humanistic & integrative therapy in 1994 and have been accredited through Spectrum with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy since 1997. I am also a member of the Association for Humanistic Psychology. These bodies have Codes of Ethics and Conduct to which I subscribe.
I am an Honorary Clinical Associate with Pink Therapy, specialising in working with, and training others to work with, people from minority sexualities. I also hold their Certificate in Therapy with Sexual Minorities.
In addition, I have done the following:
14 years psychoanalysis (NHS, Private and Tavistock Clinic)
29 years’ Humanistic, Integrative, Formative and Expressive Arts therapy
3 month residential, Cassel therapeutic community
Certificate in Education (1973 Univ. London Inst. Ed.)
Double distinctions in Human Development and Literature
Bachelor of Education (1974 Univ. London Inst. Ed)
First Class Honours – Psychology & Literature
Spectrum Course in Psychotherapy 1990
Spectrum Post Graduate course in Psychotherapy 1991
Spectrum Postgraduate Continuation Programme 1992 – present
PAIRS Foundation One year course in Intimate Relationship Skills (100 hours) 1994
Professional Dream work annual four-day workshop with Terry Cooper 1995 – present
Sexuality programme, 3 parts, 100 hours 1991-2
Anger management training
Drama Triangle (T.A.) training
Pink Therapy trainings
ALGBP Europe & UK trainings
And much, much more…
Note:
I am happy to answer questions from potential clients, supervisees or trainees on any aspect of my training or experience relevant to our work and to provide specific details of the Codes of Ethics and Conduct to which I adhere, or of my supervision, insurance and ongoing professional support.