Gary’s Bio

I have over 18 years’ experience working in mental health settings.  I have worked extensively in the field of infant, child & adult mental health services, and have held senior roles and clinically managed/led a psychological therapies department for CAMHS.

I have experience of working in a variety of CAMHS services from community services, crisis services, substance misuse service, criminal justice services, general and forensic inpatient services.

I hold multiple clinical qualifications. 1) psychiatric mental health nurse 2) child adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapist 3) EMDR therapist 4) ADOS-2 practitioner.  I am registered with the nursing midwifery council (NMC) and the association of child psychotherapists (ACP).

I have worked in the planning, implementation and strategic departments to scope and deliver on national agendas for mental health across the lifespan.  I have also held senior direct commissioning roles in quality and patient safety to enhance service delivery.  I have worked closely with CQC, Ofsted, local authority and the wider ICS. I have worked in direct specialised commissioning across mental health and health and justice for children and adults across community and inpatient services.  I have specialised knowledge and experience of safeguarding.

I have undertaken a 2 year pre-clinical course and a 5-year full time intensive and in-depth Mpsych clinical training in Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust which provided me with significant knowledge of child development and childhood disorders.  My clinical training enables me to carefully observe a child, young person or adult and respond sensitively to their communications; this can be through play, body language, behaviour and how they relate and interact in the therapeutic relationship.  I am trained in understanding complex, multi-layered communications, and I work with a broad range of issues from mild to severe mental health difficulties.  I always hold my patients in mind and am patient led with all therapeutic interventions.  These can be undertaken through direct talking therapy sessions or communicating through other creative forms of communication.  I have been a guest speaker at conferences/events in child mental health.

I work to help and support people, to make sense of their experiences with an individual focus.  I work with compassion and empathy and I am highly passionate at helping people overcome adversity/challenges.  I work with kindness and gentle curiosity.  My aim is for people to lead fulfilled successful lives and to help them to communicate and express themselves as they see fit through various mediums of communication.  I am culturally sensitive and offer respectful interventions to ensure people are comfortable as this is highly important when delivering therapeutic interventions.

I have worked in several clinical mental health settings across the age range, including infants, children, and adult services where I have delivered psychological therapeutic approaches to individuals and groups.  I have delivered teaching/consultation services and strive to help and support people across services and to meet their individual needs.  I have a strong focus of meeting people where they are and gradually understanding their difficulties together.

I can provide multi modal interventions and have expertise in assessment on a routine basis, crisis management, risk assessments, care planning and following up patients.  I have experience of delivering EMDR  interventions and can assess for Autism And ADHD. I have extensive experience of working with a broad range of other mental health presentations.

I can provide case consultations, supervision individually and in groups. I have extensive experience of providing construction and supervision to a wide range of professionals.

I routinely review my practice and use routine outcome measures to review, validate and plan further interventions.