I originally started working within the national health service (NHS) over twenty years ago whilst I was studying Philosophy at the University of Staffordshire. After graduating, I stayed working in the field of healthcare but quickly moved to the area of secure forensics and completed my BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing (2009). It was here that I started to take an active interest in the therapeutic side of care, learning how to work with potentially violent offenders in a non-judgemental manner. This was reinforced by my subsequent training in cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) which taught me a great deal about more general therapeutic skills and the underlying factors of how we develop and maintain relationships, even when they're not that healthy for us.

Then on one fateful night shift I noticed the advert to further my training on the Post-Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and so started the career direction that I remain on today. I qualified with a Distinction later the following year (2016), moving directly into a full time position as a CBT Therapist, and later a supervisor, also within the NHS. Subsequently my passion to deliver high quality care has led to numerous enriching opportunities including becoming a Senior Lecturer in CBT at the University of Staffordshire and completing my MSc in Clinical Research in CBT.

I now divide my NHS time between delivering therapy and being the Course Clinical Lead for the CBT High Intensity PGDip, for both Staffordshire and Keele Universities. This gives me the enjoyable opportunity to train the next generation of therapists.

Qualifications and accreditations

• Philosophy BA University of Staffordshire 2001

• Mental Health Nursing BSC (Hons) University of Staffordshire 2009

• CBT PGDip Staffordshire University 2016

• Clinical Research in CBT Coventry University 2023

• Fully accredited by BABCP since 2016 (registration number: 170052). You can check my status on the register CBT Search Results

As part of my NHS role I am up to date on all aspects of Safeguarding, GDPR & Data protection, Risk Management and Mental Health/Capacity Act.