Hello, my name is Sam and I am a psychotherapist specialised in working with adults, families and children aged 3+. I have many years of providing therapy for children and adults in various settings, I work using principles of Theraplay® and other forms of therapy, such as CBT, DBT and EMDR. I am a member of the British Psychological Society and Theraplay® practicum and follow their codes of
conduct and ethics. I also hold a current enhanced DBS on the update service.

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For the last 15 years, my focus has been on supporting and helping children and adults. At all times, I work from an impartial and non-judgmental perspective and I aim to create a space where you feel at ease and able to work at your own pace to move forwards.

My experience as a father and from working with children helps ensure sessions for children are fun and play-based, and the therapy space is maintained as a comfortable and happy place for children and their caregivers. I utilise interventions informed by cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, Theraplay®, EMDR, and evidence-based approaches such as PACE.
 

EXPERIENCE
I have supported children and adults therapeutically for more than 15 years, within community and secure settings; this has included children who have been fostered, adopted or looked after in residential care. Prior to that, I worked conducting psychological research in secure hospital settings
on a range of topics including psychological treatment effectiveness and the impact of living conditions on behaviour.

Over my career, my therapeutic work has often been to support clients with a range of difficulties, including self-esteem, trust in others, abilities to manage emotions and behaviours, levels of anxiety and being withdrawn, symptoms of autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), difficulties being calm and concentrating. I have extensive experience supporting children and adults with self-injury, suicidal behaviour, aggression, depression, harmful sexualc behaviour, experiences of trauma, abuse, neglect and sexual exploitation.

I am trained and experienced in delivering interventions informed by cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical therapy and Theraplay®. Theraplay® is a newer form of therapy. It is delivered to a child and their caregiver(s) together and is a pleasure to provide. Research and my own experience shows
it can be very effective at addressing children’s behavioural, attachment, emotional and developmental issues. It benefits younger children especially as it is play-based and does not require talking about difficulties to resolve them. Studies have also found it can be very effective for older children up to adulthood.

For the past 12 years, I have also worked to support residential children’s homes, through training staff, developing models of care, providing psychological advice and conducting psychological assessments and delivering therapy.

I also have academic research interests around the impact of caregiving to children who present with the above difficulties, and have published work in the area.

My work is consistently evidence-based and in line with NICE guidelines (a set of recommendations for professionals to follow in England and  Wales), whilst being tailored to individual needs.

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