A WORKING LIFE: 1965 -2017.

Born into a working class London family in the late 1940s, I survived numerous illnesses, alcoholic parenting, abuse, many accidents and injuries, mental health services, fostering and care homes. This chequered and chaotic childhood and adolescence has, obviously, been formative.

I went to several schools, none with high standards, yet became fascinated by learning and created an education through contact with intriguing people I found on my journey: my ‘midwives’ I call them. I also learned much from early involvement in political, charitable and community campaigning and organising. This work has remained a feature of my whole  adult life.

I had a number of jobs whilst at school and afterwards, the most interesting of which were in rare book and print dealing in London, eventually managing a rare book shop in Bloomsbury before I trained to teach. Married for twelve years, I have two sons – now aged 45 and 40 and, for the past 33 years have shared a rich, life with my male partner.

I am a keen writer, editor and communicator. I have exhibited and sold my photographs, had my poetry published, designed  gardens and been a calligrapher. I remain a community and social activist involved in issues and causes internationally and have founded and chaired numerous organisations. I love travelling and seeing life from new perspectives.

My working background

I have been privileged to spend my working life supporting people of all ages and backgrounds at points of growth and change in their own lives. Twenty years of this was as a teacher, school governor, Head of English in a comprehensive school and an inner city college, lecturer and manager – as well as being co-ordinator of one of the biggest Open College Networks in Britain. My last thirteen years in this rewarding work was in Access education for adults.

I have worked with individuals with physical and learning difficulties, women offenders, minority communities, schoolchildren, students, degree supervisees and hundreds of professionals in training and practice.

I worked in charitable, public, private and voluntary sectors with individuals and groups, small and large. In addition I had extensive experience as a trainer, group leader, conference organiser and presenter, writer, broadcaster and editor.

I strongly believe that individuals, groups and whole communities can and do grow and change for the better. This, along with a fascination with how we learn and how we can unlearn what does not serve us well, in finding creative approaches to problems and painful experiences, has always motivated me I always loved what I did for a living.

My work: 1990 – 2017

In 1990 I became an independent therapist and training consultant.

My training and qualifications

Graduating from Spectrum in humanistic therapy in 1994, I was accredited with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)  between 1997 and 2016.  I was Honorary Clinical Associate at Pink Therapy, London – the largest specialist organisation working with gender and sexual diversity (GSD) (see LINKS page) – and held their Advanced Gender and Sexual Diversities Therapist qualification.

Dominic Davies, Founding Director of Pink Therapy, and I co-edited the best-selling trilogy of training handbooks, also called ‘Pink Therapy (McGraw Hill Int.,1996 &2000) In 2014 I published ‘The Marrying Kind? Lives of Gay and Bi Men Who Married Women’ – see PUBLICATIONS page.

In addition I have done the following:

14 years psychoanalysis (NHS, Private and Tavistock Clinic), 38 years’ Humanistic, Integrative, Formative and Expressive Arts therapy and 3 months residential, Cassel therapeutic community

Certificate in Education (1973 Univ. London Inst. Ed.) – Double distinctions in Human Development and Literature and Bachelor of Education (1974 Univ. London Inst. Ed) – First Class Honours – Psychology & Literature

Spectrum training programmes: Psychotherapy 1990

Post–Graduate Psychotherapy 1991

Postgraduate Continuation 1992 – 2014.

PAIIRS Foundation Intimate Relationship Skills (100 hours) 1994

Professional Dream work annual four-day workshop with Terry Cooper 1995 – 2019.

Sexuality training programme, 3 parts, 100 hours 1991-2

Anger management training

Drama Triangle (T.A.) training

Frequent Pink Therapy trainings

Frequent ALGBP Europe & UK trainings

And much, much more…