Professional Background and Experience

Hi I’m Sheena,

I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience, 17 years of which were spent working in the NHS- initially in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) Services, and then across various hospitals in London, supporting people living with chronic health conditions and life limiting illness.

In private practice, I work with a range of emotional difficulties including anxiety, grief and trauma.

Over my long career, I have trained in and applied a range of therapeutic approaches to support individuals and groups of people in managing the significant emotional impact of a wide range of life challenges.

Over time, my clinical practice has developed to reflect the broader scientific understanding of emotional distress and trauma that has emerged in recent years. This includes neuroscientific findings which powerfully highlight the impact that distress and trauma can have on the nervous system. I have been particularly interested in the science which demonstrates how developing mindfulness and compassion can support us to better understand our emotions and integrate our emotional experience, so that the nervous system can learn to feel a sense of calm and safeness, at times of uncertainty or great difficulty. 

I have been personally and professionally drawn to approaches such as Compassion-Focused Therapy and Polyvagal-Informed Therapy, which encourage us to become more aware of and befriend our very real and felt human emotional experiences - just as they are. An essential part of therapy is developing the courage to integrate and transform these experiences in meaningful ways within our lives.

I also have extensive clinical experience in using Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and I will always offer an integrative and holistic approach to therapy, to work with a client’s specific psychological need.