Nic has developed a special interest in the field of attachment and developmental trauma.
Her work with more complex difficulties led her to extend her systemic training with the Family Institute for Family and Systemic Psychotherapy. She was then trained by Dan Hughes in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and in Theraplay with Vivien Norris.
She also attended Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) training with Eadaoin Bhreathnach. Nic is also a fully qualified EMDR practitioner which many have found can be used as part of an attachment-trauma informed approach. She is currently certified as an Experienced DDP Practitioner which means she can undertake PACE training and offer supervision to DDP practitioners.
Her very first psychology job was in physical health (chronic pain management) where she supported people to make sense of the mind-body link and the impact of neurological processes on our pain levels, body movements and our mood. After the pain management work she split her time between two services (Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities) and juggled this pattern for the next 20 years in the NHS, moving around in the specialities to focus on different work or holding more senior roles.
About seven years ago she was made the clinical lead for an NHS all-age Autism Spectrum service but has more recently decided to base her practice on attachment-trauma based work. Nic initially worked in a more traditional child psychology service and then a CAMHS service but noticed the limitations of a traditional approach in supporting children and their families when the children had experienced a gap in care. Her move into work in Adoption and Fostering services allows her to offer support around attachment-trauma informed care to parents, foster carers and social workers and often involves supporting a transition from more traditional parenting-based approaches to more therapeutic parenting.
Nic says it has been refreshing to join The Family Place as it has enabled her to continue to practise in specialist areas with fantastic colleagues!
