I am the founder of Gatehouse Therapy. For years I have been passionate about the right work being done with young people to help them process the world around them and the experiences they have.

Currently I spend the week as a team manager / social worker working with children looked after by the local authority for half the week, and spend the remainder as a play therapist. 

Historically I have worked in roles in family mediation, youth work, outreach work in children's centres and early intervention hubs, homeless shelters before coming to my career as a social worker.

Within social care I have worked in foster care, child protection and in the Children We Care For team with children looked after by the local authority.

My prior work in early intervention and community services gave me a depth and breadth of experience in different areas of child development and a vast bank of resources to work with children and families on subjects such as anger, bullying, anxiety and many more.

Within social care I have used this to work with the children in my care who have experienced trauma and to help other social workers gain further skills in direct working with young people and in life story work.

Between 2019 and 2023 I trained as a Play Therapist to help young people process thoughts and feelings at a deeper less conscious level and have seen the power of using play to develop relationships and explore themes such as fairness and justice, life and death, safety and danger.

In 2023 I became a practitioner in Therapeutic Life Story Work with Therapeutic Life Story Work International (Richard Rose) and am qualified to make life story books triangulating the work with parents and carers with young people. 

I have capacity to work in my lovely woodland from a treehouse which allows to bring nature into my work and hopefully will appeal to those of a like mind.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Other important information:

I am insured to provide play therapy

I am registered with the governing body PTUK (see useful links)

I am DBS checked

I am a member of Social Work England

I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office