NVR Association (NVRA) Accredited Practitioner and Supervisor

I am a clinical psychologist and NVR Practitioner; I am also trained in Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE). I have had the pleasure of working with individuals with Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC), both in adult and child settings, for over 20 years.  Following my doctoral training in Clinical Psychology, I have spent the past 10 years becoming immersed in children’s services, specialising in working with children with Learning Disabilities and ASC across Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). I am currently the clinical lead for CAMHS Learning Disabilities Services within my trust.  I have extensive experience of working with families who have experienced trauma, adversity and violence; supporting children in care; providing consultation to the system around the child, including social care and schools, and, providing supervision.

Within my work, my focus is supporting the moving away from considering the problem as located within the child, to understanding problems as existing (and maintained) in the interactions between individuals, taking a strengths-based focus, as well as, identifying solutions within the child and family context. NVR enables one to challenge the commonly held beliefs that ‘challenging behaviour’ for children and young people with Learning Disabilities and ASC is inevitable and supports parents to feel legitimacy in naming and resisting violence. Frequently many parents name how NVR has given them ‘permission’ to do things differently when dealing with aggression and control from their child. The anchoring function of focusing on the relationship in NVR has enabled the opening up of different perspectives on, and approaches to, the ‘problem’, moving away from a ‘disablist narrative’ and the dominant story of ‘challenging behaviour’ that is limiting.