Since becoming the team lead for Beacon House’s Chichester clinic, Kathryn has had the privilege of seeing the therapy team grow from 2 therapists in the spring of 2017 to a team of 15 in 2020. Working alongside really passionate, skilled, kind and fun colleagues is a fantastic part of her role. Working therapeutically with children and families inspires Kathryn and is the part of her role that has taught her the most over the years; growing her own courage, patience and knowledge and having the honour of seeing the resilience, humour, bravery and creativity of her clients.

Kathryn is a clinical psychologist by training and really enjoys the variety that her role as clinical lead offers. From introducing new families to Beacon House; working therapeutically with children, young people, and their parents to being one of Beacon House’s safeguarding leads and supporting colleagues in their therapeutic work with families. Kathryn is influenced by a longstanding interest in attachment and trauma informed practice, and she particularly enjoys and values writing and delivering training to schools, colleges and other settings where the focus is working with young people and families.

Kathryn has been trained in a number of different therapy models during and since qualifying. As a child and family practitioner specializing in work with children who are impacted by developmental trauma, her focus is often on relationships and attachments as a source of support and resilience for children, young people and families. There is very strong evidence to suggest that growing or strengthening healthy attachments can make a significant positive difference to children’s thoughts, feelings, behaviour and long term emotional and physical health. Therapy can be one important part of a ‘web’ of support for families which prioritises relationships and connections for children and young people.

Through experience in the work setting, and as a parent herself, Kathryn knows that children (and in fact all people) need to feel safe, understood and accepted to start to make changes when things are difficult. Her approach is to be curious about all parts of a child’s life and to appreciate their interests and passions alongside the things that they, or other people, are finding difficult.

Kathryn’s assessments and therapeutic work will always include listening to everyone in the child’s family and network to understand a child’s needs; a focus on relationships across home, school and communities as the milieu for change; thinking about mind, body and brain and an emphasis on restoring strength and stability in the context of what is already going well.

Kathryn’s specialist, post-qualifying experience includes dyadic developmental psychotherapy (DDP), solution focused therapy, sensory attachment interventions, assessing attachment in adults using the Attachment Style Interview (ASI) and most recently eye movement desensitisation and re-processing (EMDR), an evidence based psychotherapeutic treatment for trauma. Kathryn has recently begun a Level 5 Diploma in Children’s Health and Social Care Leadership and Management to grow her knowledge and skills in this area as she continues to develop her work in the clinic and the service as a whole.

Kathryn is registered with the Health Care Professions Council (membership number PYL22226) and chartered with the British Psychological Society (membership number 84300).

  • Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services
    The Learning Station, January 2020 – December 2021
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Levels 1,2,3 (Adults with Child components)
    Richman EMDR Training (8 days, 2013 & 2014)
  • Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Level 2
    Dan Hughes & Kim Golding (4 days, 2012)
  • Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Level 1 (revised and updated)
    Dan Hughes (4 days, 2011)
  • The Attachment Style Interview (ASI) Administration/Accreditation training
    Lifespan Research Group (2006, 4 days)
  • Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Level 1
    Dan Hughes (4 days, 2001)
  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (ClinPsyD)
    University of Birmingham (1998- 2001)
  • BSc. Combined Studies: Psychology with Languages
    Manchester Metropolitan University (1993-1996)
  • Self Compassion for my Blackness
    Let’s Face Change Seminar, 1 hour, 28th July 2023
  • Working with the Menopause in Therapy
    BTP, 3 hours, 28th July 2023
  • Radical Solutions – Racist Systems
    Let’s Face Change Seminar, 1 hour, 21st April 2023
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Training
    Roshmi Lovatt, 28th January 2023
  • Safeguarding adults – level 3
    Virtual college, 3 hours, 19th July 2022
  • Contextual safeguarding for vulnerable children and adults
    Amanda Radley, 3 hours, 11th May 2022
  • Introduction to supporting children and young people with FASD
    Seashell Trust, National Organisation for FASD, 17th January 2022
  • Caring for LGBTQ youth in clinical settings
    Online Module National LGBTQIA+ Health and Education Center, 7th July 2021
  • Releasing Trauma: how our bodies play a part in releasing trauma, and how to go about helping the process with children and young people
    Webinar Dan Hughes and Jay Vaughan, 1st July 2021
  • Supporting gender diverse children and young People
    Gires/Surrey and Borders NHS Trust, 30th June 2021
  • The Power of the Senses; re-building sensory systems and supporting regulation in children impacted by early trauma
    Beacon House Online Training, 6 hours, May 2021
  • Introduction to the BUSS Model: Building Underdeveloped Sensory Systems
    Beacon House Online Training, 1 day, 29th January 2021
  • Radicalisation – Key signs
    West Sussex County Council, 1 hour, 13th October 2020
  • Fire warden training
    High Speed Training, 29th September 2020
  • Designated safeguarding lead refresher training
    West Sussex County Council Safeguarding and Education Team, 2 hours, 6th July 2020
  • Preventing radicalisation and violent extremism
    West Sussex County Council, 17th January 2020
  • Safer recruitment training
    High Speed Training, December 2019
  • Designated safeguarding officer (Level 3)
    High Speed Training, July 2019
  • Emergency first aid at work
    Tutor Care, 16th July 2019
  • Mentalization based therapy for families
    The Anna Freud Centre, London May-July 2019 (3 ½ days)
  • The dynamic maturational model of attachment across the lifespan
    Dr Ben Grey, Dept of Attachment Studies, University of Roehampton (one day, May 2019)
  • The art of stress management with Éadaoin Bhreathnach
    1 Day Workshop, December 2018
  • Safeguarding children and adolescents
    West Sussex, 2018
  • Sussex LSCB safeguarding adolescents conference
    26/11/2018
  • International trauma recovery summit, Belfast
    27th & 28th June 2018
  • Multi-agency safeguarding training (introduction to the MASH)
    WSCC (1 day, 2015)
  • Level 3 safeguarding for CAMHS (CSE focus)
    SPFT (1 day, 2015)
  • Signs of safety
    A solution-focussed and safety-oriented approach to child protection risk assessment & intervention (1 day, 2014)
  • Clinical risk assessment for CAMHS
    SPFT (1 day, 2014)
  • Level 3 safeguarding for CAMHS (FII focus)
    SPFT (1 day, 2013)
  • Using the ACC in clinical practice
    Michael Tarren-Sweeney (2011, 2 days)
  • Sensory Attachment Interventions – introductory level
    Eadaoin Bhreathnach (2009, 2 Days)
  • Matching adopters to children
    WSCC Adoption Team February 2006 (2 days)
  • Solution focused brief therapy level 1
    Brief Therapy Practice (2003, 4 days)
  • Working effectively with children and young people: combining collaborative child focused family therapy and solution focused approaches.
    Institute if Family Therapy (Matthew Selekman and Jim Wilson) (2002, 3 days)