I currently work with children aged fifteen plus.

My experience working with children began with my first postgraduate job. After gaining a BSC in Psychology in 1990. I started work as a residential social worker in a community home for teenage boys. I worked in this challenging environment with children aged between 12 and 17 for a year before moving on to work in one of two secure centres run by the Home office at the time. I worked on a mixed unit with young people who either needed to be in a secure environment to protect themselves or because they had perpetrated serious crimes. I was a group worker in the unit and worked on a one to one with young women who had eating disorders and who self harmed. Many of the young men were sex offenders. I have a postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Approaches to Counselling in Schools awarded by Wessex Counselling Service in 2015 It was whilst I was working here that I began my counselling training by undertaking a certificate in person centred counselling in 1993.

I went on to work in a hostel for young homeless people. Then as a group worker for young people with emotional and mental health problems in a therapeutic community run by the Richmond Fellowship.

I offered counselling and group work in this role.

I then continued my counselling training whilst working at Bristol Drugs Project as a project worker who managed a busy drop in and carried a counselling case load. I gained a Diploma in Counselling in 1998.

Whilst most of my post qualifying counselling experience has been working with adults; largely within the NHS I pursued an interest in working with children in 2003. I became a volunteer counsellor at the Bridge Foundation working with children in an Easton primary school for 12 months. During this time I supported three primary school children and attended weekly supervision at the Bridge Foundation.