Practitioners
Our practitioners are both psychologists and therapists. Therefore we can plan for the future, and support you with the problems that worry you today. Using our relationship with you to help process your trauma.
Dr Marsha Henderson
Chartered Counselling Psychologist & Associate Fellow of the British Psychological SocietyDr Marsha has worked in some very diverse settings. These include children’s residential care, psychiatric inpatient (child and adult, female low-secure), a play-therapy charity, conducting autism assessments, and a charity for adults who have experienced sexual and intimate partner abuse.
Dr Marsha’s experience is largely with looked after children and their families, most recently in conjunction with the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. She has additional interests in marginalised and stigmatised communities, including the LGBTQIA+ and Traveller communities.
Previously, Dr Marsha trained teachers in Special Educational Needs strategies and taught English in Czechia. Her professional philosophy is that the dark events of an individual’s early life should not be allowed to sabotage their future. Excellent psychotherapy can support individuals to overcome their trauma and achieve brighter futures.
Favourite ways to spend time outside her professional life include playing with her rescued tortoise, Khaan, and dog, Flint. She also enjoys doing guerilla ecology and growing rare, purple roses.
Experience & credentials
Dr Marsha is a highly empathetic and enthusiastic Chartered Counselling Psychologist, and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, with a masters degree in Developmental Psychology and doctorate in Counselling Psychology.
Recognising the significant impact which culture, society, and family have on the individual’s mental health, throughout her practice, she has sought to honour the different needs of individuals with respect to the diverse groups they belong to. Promoting their well-being, helping them to make informed choices about their own care and treatment, and to take back power in their own lives.
She has extensive experience working with clients who have lived through developmental trauma, multiple childhood maltreatment, and adult domestic and sexual trauma. Dr Marsha is continually developing her practice with children and young people to be able to collaborate with clients to create therapy tailored to their individual needs or offer them one of a number of discrete therapies.
She also delivers psychological assessments, and autism assessments, being trained in ADOS-2 evaluations. This work has taken place in children’s residential settings; psychotherapeutic settings; and psychiatric inpatient settings.
Dr Marsha’s additional training and education includes dyadic developmental psychotherapy level 1; assessment of and working with adolescents, their families and carers, re: harmful sexual behaviour (the AIM Project V3); and extended dialectical behaviour therapy skills.
Dr Alison Harrison
Consultant Clinical PsychologistDr Alison’s expertise in developmental trauma and attachment difficulties is built on a foundation of almost a quarter of a century’s experience in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
She has since been able to devote herself to families of children looked after and those with neurodiversities, providing family-based therapies and psychological assessments in such settings as residential homes, the family courts, and in conjunction with the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. In other arenas, delivering training and consultation for children’s professionals and organisations wishing to implement trauma-informed practice. Dr Alison’s professional philosophy is the belief that every child deserves a safe and nurturing environment in which to thrive.
Dr Alison enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, walking her dog, Teddy, and spending time with her two young children, family members, and friends.
Experience & credentials
A highly skilled Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Dr Alison has over 20 years of experience in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Since obtaining her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Manchester University in 2002, she has developed a specialist interest in developmental trauma and attachment difficulties, providing expert psychological assessment and therapeutic input to young people and their families. She has also trained and consulted for professionals and organisations in trauma-informed care for children; and has significant experience as an expert witness in the family courts.
Dr Alison has specialised her training and expertise to support children who are cared for, adopted, or neurodiverse. She has completed level 1 and level 2 dyadic developmental psychotherapy training, as well as non-violent resistance level 1 and level 2. She is not only aware of the importance of differences between autism and other neurodivergencies, but able to detect and diagnose conditions that may be relevant to your child. Trained in the delivery of the ADOS-2 and ADI-R, Dr Alison has significant experience in the assessment and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Some further qualifications include DBT Foundational Training, Story Stem assessment Profile Coding; and Children’s Accelerated Trauma Technique Training.
Believing that every child deserves a safe and nurturing environment in which to thrive, Dr Alison, understands that children who experience disadvantage as a result of trauma and neglect are at risk of poor life outcomes. She recognises the need for a systemic, trauma-informed approach to care; and the crucial role that parents and carers play, because ‘relational repair’ can be the greatest priority in helping a child feel emotionally safe.
Get in touch
Get in touch and speak to a practitioner directly for a free one-hour initial consultation to understand your needs. Together we will create a preliminary plan, including a number of regular, carefully paced sessions and a review. Reviews will be followed by a thoughtful ending or fully planned next steps forward.
Or just get in touch to ask a question!