• UKCP registered Integrative Child Psychotherapist
• Clinical Supervisor and Senior Consultant in working with children and young people with Complex Trauma
• Previously Acting Manager and Head of Therapy at residential therapeutic community
• Developed 52 week group work programme for traumatised children and young people in residential therapeutic school and community setting
• Senior Tutor, Masters Degree Programme in Child Psychotherapy (Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education/Academic Partner (University of East London))
• Senior Lecturer The Centre for Child Mental Health London
• Extensive experience in training, supervision and consultation with adoptive families and/or young people with complex trauma
• Contributing Author to Helping Teenagers with Anger and Low Self Esteem, M. Sunderland (2012) Hinton House Publishers Ltd.
• Approved Author for TeachIt online educational resource website for CPD blogs and articles on mental health in the classroom

• Senior Consultant and Trainer in Trauma Informed Practice and Emotional Health
• Educational Psychotherapist (MA in Therapeutic Education) Caspari
• Senior Trauma Informed Trainer for Trauma Informed schools UK

Previously

• Mental Health Practitioner for CAMHS, leading a programme of training on Emotional well being, attachment and mental health across Dorset. 
• Consultant for the Primary Strategy Team in Dorset, coordinating Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) and later as the Emotional well being Adviser for the Borough of Poole.
• Advisory teacher in Tanzania, East Africa
• Advisor for an East London Behaviour and Advisory Team
• Led a number of LA and multi- agency initiatives and has written and created PSHE materials for schools.
• Has a range of experience in training and consultative work having been a facilitator and trainer at National Conferences and a consultant trainer for the Institute of Education, London.
• Manager for Chesil Emotional Health and Behaviour Service, a team of professionals working to support children, families and schools, and created  Thrive Education Zones that operated as Thrive nurture bases for  children at risk of exclusion and supported families and schools to enable the children to return to mainstream provision. The project also worked with parents to support them and to enable them to build their own self-esteem in supporting their children.

After many years working as a theatre director I now have an MA in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy (Distinction).

I recently worked in the NHS with survivors of sexual abuse, and the legacy of trauma and complex PTSD. I have also worked with homeless groups, psychiatric patients, refugees and young offenders.

Currently much of my work is with staff and young people in performing arts and drama schools. At Guildhall we are introducing a strand to the training that recognises that psychological understanding can deeply enrich the student's practice, as well as supporting personal growth and resilience.

I am particularly interested in the ways the arts can support mental health by giving access to our inner resources, creativity and imagination.

For the last four years I have run a counselling service at the International School of Screen Acting and recently set one up at The British American Dramatic Academy.

BACKGROUND

My background is in theatre where all my productions were accompanied by an extensive education and outreach programme for young people. I have run workshops for the Arvon Foundation, the National Theatre, Arts Council and British Council as well as in many universities, schools, theatres and drama schools. I have written six plays, all published by Nick Hern books, which have been produced both nationally and internationally. My work is on the school syllabus.

Sonya Anjari: MA, Accredited MBACP is a Gestalt Centre trained Counsellor (2005) and Integrative Adolescent Therapeutic Counsellor (IATE 2009), Group Facilitator (2018), Child, Adolescent and Adult Clinical Supervisor (Terapia and Gestalt Centre 2018), Trauma Informed Schools Trainer (2018).

Sonya draws on 16 years of counselling experience in a variety of settings: in Japan with international teachers; secondary schools in London and Cornwall; West London drug and alcohol settings; Feltham Young Offenders Institute. Sonya developed an online counselling service for young people affected by another’s addiction and delivered Equine Assisted therapy. Sonya is a guest tutor with teaching institutions in Cornwall and is part of the senior trainer team with Trauma Informed Schools UK. Sonya provides clinical supervision and group facilitation to private practitioners, schools and charities working with people affected by trauma, alongside private practice.

Integrative child psychotherapist (MA)

Registered member of the Institute of Arts in Therapy and Education

 I am an integrative child psychotherapist and Trauma Informed Schools Trainer and Supervisor.

My work with children and adolescents focuses on how to better understand the challenges young people face and where possible I work creatively using the arts to support communication and understanding.

My clinical experience involves working with groups, children, young people, parents and school staff. My practice covers a variety of complex presenting issues and emotional or behavioural difficulties and I am particularly interested in the impact of trauma on attachment and developmental systems.

I am a BACP registered counsellor working in a variety of counselling settings which are;

• Counsellor at East Kent Rape Crisis Centre working with teenagers and adults
• Bereavement counsellor at Pilgrims Hospice, Canterbury
• Voluntary counsellor at a community counselling service which provides access to low cost longer term counselling
• Private practice
• Home Group Tutor for Trauma Informed Schools

Recently I have completed an advanced diploma in trauma work, focused on rape and sexual abuse and also delivered a series of staff training on the impacts of both Covid and bereavement on our clients and ourselves in a trauma setting.

Background

I started my career first as a tax/pensions graduate working with clients for a large international accountancy firm in London and progressed as a training manager. I worked with university students/leavers teaching and organising the summer intern programme, the graduate induction course and latterly facilitated management meetings and European Conferences.

I left London 20 years ago for rural Kent to live the good life, run a smallholding and raise my family.

In the last 10 years I became a Samaritan, retrained as a counsellor and amassed several different counselling roles.

I hold a range of diverse qualifications from a latin degree to professional pensions management to counselling with a particular specialism of working with trauma and loss.

• Paul Harris, (MA UKCP) has more than 20 years of experience working with children and young people in a variety of different contexts including Education, CAMHS, the Community Arts as well as in private practice.

• He is a senior faculty member on the MA in Integrative Child Psychotherapy at The Institute for Arts in Therapy & Education; a qualified supervisor (Minster Centre); and Group work Practitioner (Institute for Group Analysis). He is also a senior training consultant for The Centre for Child Mental Health as well as Trauma Informed Schools.

• He specialises in somatic arts-based and trauma -informed practices as well as eco-psychotherapy in his work with children and families. His work has focused amongst other areas on addiction and trauma; attachment difficulties with Looked After Children; and children with alternate and non-standard forms of communication including ASD and other nuerodiverse expressions.

• Paul is a qualified Yoga-therapist (Minded Institute); Cranio-sacral Therapist; and Continuum Movement Practitioner and is director of Ahimsa Associates Ltd: A Creative Wellbeing Consultancy.

• He works in 4 different community languages, including English, French, Spanish and British Sign Language."

“Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.” ― Kahlil Gibran

Karen Stallard is a registered Psychotherapist with UKCP, registered Counsellor with BACP and registered Art Therapist with HCPC.
She trained at The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education where she gained a Masters in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy. 

Her private practice is called Feeling Found, which is based in Highbury and Islington, London.

Karen's career journey began as an actor with a passion for the performing arts, story telling and communicating creatively. She then trained to be a member of the clergy of the Christian church, where she worked mainly in pastoral care particularly within mental health. Karen has also worked an honorary therapist at the Women’s Service in Oxley’s NHS Trust for over four years and as a spiritual and cultural care coordinator at the East London and City Mental Health Trust for seven years.

Karen founded ‘The Geoff Ashcroft Community’ in Tower Hamlets to support people suffering from mental health issues in the community, and has been a Board Member of various charities including Crossroads Counselling Service, Margins Homelessness project and Union Chapel Project.  
Karen is also on the Steering Group for a bi-annual conference called ‘Continuing the Journey’, which provides training to therapists and spiritual leaders. More recently she has been teaching Art therapy to degree level students at Goldsmiths University.

My passion is communication and connection; helping to support people in feeling heard, understood, valued and through expression, having a voice. 

I am a registered counsellor with the BACP, working with adults since 2016 and continuing to do so since qualifying in March 2019. I am also involved in supporting parent and child sessions with those affected by domestic abuse.   

Having completed the TIS diploma in March 2020, I trained as a trainer in March 2021 and a TIS supervisor in Sept 21.  As a Home Group Tutor, I have supported delegates attending the on-line diplomas, and I have both taken part and facilitated reflective group supervision, experiencing a felt sense of how beneficial this is. 

Alongside counselling I have 15 years’ experience of working as a Speech and Language Therapy assistant. Creating resources for, and working with, children and young people who have profound and multiple learning disabilities and require alternative ways of communicating which allows their ‘voice’ to be heard.   

As a Regional Makaton tutor over 10 years, I have had the privilege of training staff, parents, and professionals, mindful of sensitively holding different groups with different needs. I have also worked with frontline agencies and have set up a project creating a resource to equip them in supporting vulnerable people in crisis.  

I have been involved in different community teams including Street Pastors, Food Bank, and youth projects, and I am currently a volunteer Chaplain with the Police. 

My vision is to dovetail all aspects of my skills and experience. To offer space to anyone who wants to effect any change where they feel it may be needed, by listening to how things are, what matters, and reflecting this back through the lens of the Trauma Informed approach. 

With over 15 years’ experience in safeguarding, mental health and direct work with children and their families, Katie’s main passion is ensuring children get the best in education and care. Up until December 2020, Katie was the Assistant Principal of a large primary school, working directly with children, families and professionals. Katie’s experience leading on all aspects of safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral care has allowed her to develop a comprehensive understanding of what children and families need and what schools can do to ensure the best outcomes.

An NSPCC Accredited Trainer and Accredited Safer Recruitment Trainer, Katie has a wide range of training skills and knowledge to support any organisation. A qualified Trauma Informed Practitioner and trainer with Trauma Informed Schools UK, Katie has a wealth of experience in trauma informed practice and safeguarding which enables her to support organisations to develop a culture of safety and support for all.

Due to Katie’s professional background in education and senior leadership, she also holds the Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) designation. Katie is also an Advanced Child Exploitation Practitioner and an Instructor for MHFA England.

As a result of her training skills and knowledge, Katie has also supported and developed training for primary, secondary and alternative provision schools, local authorities and private providers of nursery provision.

A firm believer in reflective practice and supervision, Katie trained with both Trauma Informed Schools UK and the NSPCC to support and develop a school wide approach to supervision to ensure practitioners felt supported and were working in safe and effective ways.

Sylvia Gurr is a UKCP (Acc.) Integrative Child Psychotherapist and Child Supervisor, supervising trainee Child Psychotherapists for the Institute of Arts in Therapy and Education where she qualified. With additional training in Dyadic Developmental Therapy, EMDR and Video Interactive Guidance.

Sylvia has worked with children, families and adults for over 30 years in a variety of different roles. She has a keen interest in the impact of Developmental, Complex Trauma and Attachments and early intervention to facilitate healing relationships for children and families, utilising creativity and the arts to support children and adults in expressing and processing what is often unspeakable. Her interest is underpinned by her life experiences, training, employment and voluntary work.

Sylvia has worked in the NHS in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services since 2013 within a variety of services for children and families. Ranging from Parent Infant Clinical Trials, Early Years, Post Adoption, Special Guardianship, Children Looked After, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Care Leavers.

She has also managed school counselling services within Place2Be and worked as a psychotherapist in primary and secondary schools across Inner London. Prior to training as a Child Psychotherapist, Sylvia worked for over a decade in the Homeless Sector in hostels and outreach services across the City providing mental health services to homeless young people and adults, many of whom were Care Leavers and Refugees, experiencing the continued impact of their traumatic experiences and losses, with subsequent mental health difficulties and addictions as a means to coping with their past.

Throughout her career, in the background to her work in the UK, Sylvia is also Co-Founder and Trustee of registered charity, School for Life Romania. The charity provides special needs education, supported housing and previously community outreach for the former residents of a Neuropsychiatric Hospital for Children in Romania where the beneficiaries grew up as young children experiencing privation, neglect and developmental trauma. Here Sylvia volunteered for several years in the early 1990’s prior to co-founding the charity.

Conversationally fluent in Romanian and with regular trips to the country, Sylvia helps oversee the development of services in partnership with sister Romanian Registered Humanitarian Foundation, Scoala Pentru Viata, that she also Co-Founded and was Committee Member of until 2006, when the running of the project was handed over to Romanian colleagues.

A keen traveller, Sylvia also enjoys immersing herself in different cultures, languages and communities when possible!

Clare Beckell is a BACP and PTUK  registered therapist and supervisor with 14 years experience of working with children, young people and adults. Following her training as a Play Therapist, Clare gained experience as a Creative Attachment Therapist with an adoption support agency. This introduced Clare to a deeper understanding of attachment theory and early developmental trauma. As well as adopted and looked after children, Clare has worked therapeutically with children in schools who have experienced trauma.

Clare is also Co Director for an attachment based parenting programme that uses talking therapy and the creative arts to support pregnant mums and mums and babies in groups. In this role, Clare also trains professionals in infant mental health and maternal mental health. Clare is passionate about supporting families in the perinatal period in order to give babies the very best start in life.

Clare has recently pioneered an attachment based parenting programme for Somali speaking mums and their babies and is now working therapeutically with refugee mums and babies.

As a supervisor, Clare works with teachers and safeguarding leads, family support workers, therapists and students. She leads group supervisions for trainee Play Therapists for PTUK. Clare has also completed the two day TISUK training on reflective supervision.

Clare recognises the importance of good supervision in order to support professionals working with traumatised children and their families. She is able to create a safe space for practitioners to reflect, be listened to and validated. She is keen to raise awareness around the impact of secondary trauma which professionals can be vulnerable to. Clare’s supervisions are informed by mindfulness, neuroscience and heartfelt presence.