Please briefly describe your clinical/medical experience to date?
Since beginning my career in psychology, I have worked with children, young people, and their support networks within paediatric and CAMHS teams. During my clinical doctorate training, I specialised in working within paediatric services, where I continue to work. I support children and young people living with a wide range of acute and chronic health conditions, many of whom experience significant emotional distress associated with medical trauma, invasive procedures, repeated hospital admissions, uncertainty, and life-changing diagnoses. I work alongside surgical teams and services specialising in dermatology, respiratory medicine, neurology, allergy, gastroenterology, and endocrinology.
What motivated you to enter paediatric care in the first place?
I grew up attending multiple medical teams due to being born with a cleft lip and palate, and underwent many surgeries throughout childhood. While these interventions were essential and had a positive impact on my life, some aspects of these experiences were also distressing. These experiences have fuelled my strong passion for pursuing a career as a Clinical Psychologist, specialising in paediatrics, in order to support children, young people, and families as they navigate the complexities of healthcare.
My ambition is to contribute to the development of trauma-informed paediatric services where children, young people, siblings, and parents feel heard, supported, and understood. I want to work alongside medical teams to consider not only what needs to happen medically, but also how medical interventions are delivered and how they are experienced emotionally by the child and family.
How will the funding from The Evie Dove Foundation help you to advance your career and your impact/services to children?
The Evie Dove Foundation funding will support me in undertaking training in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. This training will help me develop my therapeutic skills and feel better equipped to support children and young people who are experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following medical trauma.
EMDR is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2018) as an evidence-based treatment for PTSD. Emerging research has also shown promising results for children and young people, suggesting that EMDR can help reduce PTSD symptoms. This is particularly important in paediatric healthcare, where children living with long-term health conditions may experience repeated and distressing medical events, such as procedures, hospital admissions, time in intensive care, and life-changing diagnoses. I hope that this training will help me provide more effective and compassionate support to children and young people as they navigate these experiences.
How did you find out about The Evie Dove Foundation?
Through many colleagues at Kings College London Paediatric team.
Tell us about yourself!
In my spare time, I love being active outdoors, especially running and walking in the local parks. I really value spending time with family and friends, and often enjoy weekends with my lovely nephew, which gives me a chance to switch off from work.
Anything else you would like to tell us about your experience, future aspirations and motivations?
I hope to use what I learn through this training to support our work as a team at King’s College London. Multidisciplinary working is at the heart of paediatric care, and I really value sharing my learning with colleagues while continuing to learn from their knowledge and experience.
Alongside my clinical work, I am passionate about contributing to teaching, service development and research, and helping to ensure that psychological thinking is embedded within paediatric healthcare. I hope to continue working closely with children, young people and their families and support networks to shape services, improve access to psychological support, and ensure that emotional wellbeing is recognised as an important part of paediatric care. I am particularly passionate about making sure young people’s voices are at the heart of our work, so that the services we provide truly reflect their needs and experiences.
