I am a senior cognitive behavioural therapist working in primary care in the NHS. I have a particular interest in working with clients who have long-term physical health conditions alongside anxiety and/or depression. I have been a member of the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP) core training team since 2014, and teach on their postgraduate programme and continuing personal and professional development (CPPD) teacher training pathway. I also joined the teaching team of the Institute for Mindfulness-Based Approaches (IMA) in 2016.
Qualifications
- I have participated in CPPD through CMRP’s teacher training pathway, and through Breathworks.
- I completed my Postgraduate Diploma in Evidence-based Psychological Treatment in 2010.
- I completed Intensive Training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (1996-97) and worked as a DBT therapist for seven years.
- I trained as an Occupational Therapist (1981-84) and have working in the field of mental health since then.
Teaching-Training Specialisms
- MBCT in the NHS
- MBCT/MBSR for general public
- Implementation of MBCT in the NHS
- MBCT/MBSR teacher training
Personal Practice
I began my mindful meditation practice in 1998 to help with managing chronic pain and illness. With no access to an eight-week course at that time, two friends/colleagues and I supported each other with the help of a shared copy of Full Catastrophe Living and audio cassettes of the guided practices to establish our own practice as best we could. A number of years later when I took part in my first eight-week MBSR course, I was amazed at the power of this extraordinary experience, and my personal practice took on new meaning. Over the years, my practice has supported me in knowing myself more intimately, mind and body. Since becoming involved in teacher training, I notice my practice off the cushion has deepened. As well as in my personal life, this has also had a profound effect on my clinical work, with a sense of deepening connections with colleagues and clients.
I am particularly interested in the personal meaning of mindfulness in terms of the unique way that people describe how their personal practice has changed their lives. I occasionally capture the meaning of my own practice through writing poetry.
