Jonathan Goldsmith

Jonathan is a very experienced therapist and has worked in the NHS for over 20 years in a range of inpatient and community settings. These included adult drug and alcohol rehabilitation, child and adolescent psychiatry and services for people with a learning disability. Jonathan has a lot of experience working with children and young people who are in the care of the Local Authority and children who are adopted. He has also worked with families as they develop to include a fostered or adopted child. He recognizes that all parties, including the therapist, needs to be open to learning about the challenges of change.

Jonathan’s first professional training was in Drama therapy. He is particularly interested in what it means to play -noting that to be playful concerns relationships and is a physical as well as cognitive and emotional experience. Crucially play starts early in an infant’s life. The capacity to play, explore and be curious promotes learning and self confidence. However, it can be understandably undermined by trauma and other life experiences, and this can limit a person’s development. Jonathan’s subsequent training has focused upon understanding better the impact of trauma including the intergenerational effects upon any an individual and their family.