I am the founder of Gatehouse Therapy and have spent many years passionate about ensuring children and young people receive the right support to help them process the world around them and the experiences they have faced.

Alongside my therapeutic practice, I currently work part-time as a Team Manager and Social Worker supporting children looked after by the local authority, whilst also practising as a Play Therapist. This combination of roles allows me to remain closely connected to the real and often complex challenges children and families face.

Before qualifying as a Social Worker, I worked across a range of services supporting children, young people, and families, including family mediation, youth work, outreach work in children’s centres and early intervention hubs, as well as in homeless shelters. These experiences gave me a deep appreciation for the different challenges children and families can face and the importance of providing support that is compassionate, practical, and meaningful.

Within social care, I have worked across foster care, child protection, and Children We Care For teams, supporting children who have experienced trauma, instability, and loss. My earlier work in early intervention and community services also gave me a broad understanding of child development, alongside a wealth of practical resources to support children and families with difficulties such as anxiety, anger, bullying, emotional wellbeing, and resilience.

Throughout my career, I have been passionate about direct work with children and young people. Within social care, I have used creative and therapeutic approaches to support children in processing difficult experiences and understanding their own stories. I have also supported fellow social workers to develop their confidence and skills in direct work with young people and Therapeutic Life Story Work.

Between 2019 and 2023, I trained as a Play Therapist, strengthening my understanding of how play can help children and young people process thoughts, feelings, and experiences at a deeper and often less conscious level. I have seen first-hand the power of play to build trust, develop relationships, and explore important themes such as fairness and justice, safety and danger, life and death, and belonging.

In 2023, I qualified as a Practitioner in Therapeutic Life Story Work through Therapeutic Life Story Work International (Richard Rose). This enables me to create therapeutic life story books, bringing together the experiences and perspectives of parents, carers, and young people in a way that supports understanding, identity, and healing. Through my work in social care, I have also used these experiences to help shape and develop much of the Therapeutic Life Story Work being undertaken with young people in Oxfordshire, supporting social workers to build confidence and strengthen practice in this area.

A unique part of my work is the opportunity to offer sessions within a beautiful woodland setting, working from a treehouse therapy space. Bringing nature into therapeutic work can offer children and young people a calming, engaging, and nurturing environment, particularly for those who feel most comfortable outdoors or connected to the natural world. Alongside this, I also work with a number of local schools, offering therapeutic support in environments that feel familiar and accessible to the young people I work with.

If you would like to learn more about how I work, or to discuss whether therapy may be right for your child or young person, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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