About

I have a long and diverse experience of therapeutic and professional social care work which began in the early 1980s when I became a youth worker. I qualified as a social worker in 1989. As my career progressed I specialised in child and family work, child protection and fostering and adoption. I became a Practice Educator in the early 1990s after completing an Advanced Certificate in Social Work (Children and Families) at University of East Anglia (UEA).  I also hold Post Graduate awards in Mentoring (UEA) and Practice Education (HCPC PEP2). I am a registered social worker.

As a senior lecturer from 2008 – 2015 I was Course Leader of a well-respected Advanced Practitioners Post Graduate Diploma Program and a BA (Hons) Social Work qualifying course.  I hold a Masters in education which focused on the education of social work students in self-awareness. In 2015 I won an Australian government funded scholarship to carry out a PhD in social work and attained my doctorate in early 2020. The research focused on how social workers learn, recognise and incorporate self as they progress through seniority in their profession.

I am committed to therapeutic and relational work.  I trained in drama, dance and voice therapy in 2002 which has been wonderful for helping me create interesting and varied techniques in my training of others. I use what I learned to support people who are interested in personal and professional self development. The tools I use help people to reflect deeply whilst being creative and playful. I provide supportive and safe space for people to think about what they would like for themselves and their future, using practice that is evidenced to promote resilience, emotional intelligence, and self-efficacy.