Hello, I’m Catherine
I was born in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the Troubles, an experience that shaped my earliest years and taught me compassion, resilience, and the importance of connection. My family left Belfast when I was young, but my Irish roots continue to influence who I am. Both the place I was born and the home I’ve built now have profoundly shaped my work with children, parents, and families.
Parenting, in my experience, is like weaving a constantly changing tapestry. Each thread adds colour and meaning, even if we can’t always see the full pattern as we create it. Some days flow with ease; others feel tangled, messy, exhausting, and full of joy.
Like you, I’ve had moments of doubt, overwhelm, connection and a lot of learning. I’ve also sat in the therapy chair myself, which has deepened my respect for the courage it takes to seek help. I believe healing grows out of relationship, safety, and understanding — never perfection.
Outside of work, I restore myself through exercise, the arts, nature, books, films, and curiosity about people and travelling.
My Experience
Across 31 years in the NHS, including 26 years in CAMHS, I worked in senior and specialist roles across inpatient, outpatient, and multidisciplinary services, supporting children, teenagers, and families with a wide range of complex emotional, behavioural needs and disorders.
My work has long been grounded in trauma and systemic informed practice, helping children and parents understand the impact of early experiences, stress, attachment patterns, and nervous system responses in ways that support safety, regulation, and connection.
For the past seven years, I have worked independently, continuing to support children, parents, and families while drawing on the depth of experience gained throughout my NHS career and my own lived experience as a mother who has travelled through every stage of parenting — from infancy to adolescence and into adulthood. Thankfully we all survived it!
This personal journey has deepened my empathy and strengthened my understanding of the challenges, uncertainties, and joys that come with raising a family.
Professional Training
I remain an NMC-registered (RMN) and work fully in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Standards and Ethics.
During my years as a Specialist Nurse Therapist in CAMHS, I undertook extensive postgraduate and advanced clinical training—including attachment-focused, dyadic, trauma-informed, creative, and systemic approaches—to support my work with children, parents, and families.
Clinical Training
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Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) – Trained at Oxford Brookes University
Therapeutic Post Graduate Specialist Training
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Level II Integrative Arts Psychotherapy – The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education
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Intermediate Level Systemic Family Therapy – University of Bristol, School for Policy Studies
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Advanced EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) – EMDR Europe
Attachment & Dyadic Work
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Extensive training in attachment theory and attachment-informed clinical practice
Evidenced Based Parenting Programmes
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Trainer in The Incredible Years Parenting Programme – The Family Nurturing Network
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Trainer in The Solihull Parenting Programme – CAMHS South Gloucestershire
Additional Specialist Training
- Counselling and therapeutic communication skills
- Play and person centred arts-based therapeutic approaches
- Trauma-informed practice and early childhood trauma
- CBT and Mindfulness
- Advanced safeguarding and child protection
A Closing Note
Whatever brings you here—curiosity, concern, exhaustion, or hope—I’m glad you arrived.
You don’t need to have everything figured out.
I’m here to help you take that next step, at a pace that feels right for you and your family.
Please contact me if you’d like to arrange a consultation
