Introducing the Heartwood Tutor Team
Helen Gerolaki
Lead Tutor, London
Helen Gerolaki is a BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist with solid clinical knowledge and 22 years’ experience working in counselling, psychotherapy and training.
She has worked in a variety of services with a wide range of clients, both adults and adolescents with different presenting issues, which has given her a good understanding of the level of expertise required in the fields of counselling and psychotherapy. She has worked with young people and adults living with addiction and mental ill health. She has substantial experience working with clients with brain/head injury and learning disabilities and providing therapy in community, hospital and education settings.
Helen has established and managed therapy services in both the NHS and local authority settings and worked as a tutor and trainer within counselling and psychology training providers. Her work was initially informed by psychoanalytic theory, her further postgraduate training in person-centred theory, her Masters in integrative psychotherapy, and further training in systemic psychotherapy and attachment theory.
Helen was always interested in understanding people’s behaviour and motivations, an interest that led her to studying psychology. She remains very interested in diversity and difference and passionate about teaching the next generation of therapists.
Helen has recently joined the Heartwood team as a lead tutor in London, teaching our Advanced Diploma in Counselling weekend course in Regent’s Park, as well as providing valuable input to our continual review of our courses to ensure they meet the highest standards of course content. Her hopes for the future Heartwood graduates are that they are prepared to be moved by their clients, to respond to them as one person to another and to show genuine concern and care.
In her spare time Helen, who is originally from Greece, loves playing tennis and going for walks around London, which has been her home since she arrived in the UK over 30 years ago.
Fee Scott
Advanced Diploma Tutor, Devon
Fee has been working with people for 35 years in a number of roles in Leicester, Birmingham and Devon; as an advocate for disabled people, a residential worker with adolescent boys, a Social Worker with asylum seekers and refugees, as a manager of a LGBT Centre, a training manager in social care and in developing multi-disciplinary work with children and families.
The focus of all of her work has been supporting those who are often excluded, disempowered, and silenced. Counselling offers such potential for people to feel valued, empowered and to find their voice. For the past 10 years Fee has been the Chief Executive of Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services, developing an organisation which delivers high quality, effective trauma-specialist services for those who have been impacted by sexual violence.
Fee is a registered Social Worker, qualified Counsellor and accredited EMDR Therapist, and trauma work is at the heart of her thinking and practice. Fee is currently working as an Independent Social Worker, undertaking assessments of prospective foster carers and building an EMDR and counselling practice alongside her role at Heartwood teaching the Level 4 Diploma in Integrative Counselling.
Fee has benefited personally from excellent individual and group therapy and understands the importance working with skilled, knowledgeable, and safe practitioners.
Fee says “My life has been changed immeasurably since I discovered I could safely discard my false persona and live more authentically……
Training has been a large part of all my previous roles, and I love the potential for training to move us along, both personally and professionally. I’m delighted to be working at Heartwood, helping to shape the skills and knowledge of new counsellors. The programmes are so rich and creative and I love the encouragement to both bring fun to the training room, and to have fun myself!”
Rajan Sanger
BSc Psych, Occ.Dip, MA Psych, MA Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy, UKCP reg, ICP listed, Dip. Clinical Supervisor
Advanced Diploma Tutor, London
Raj is an integrative and holistic therapist registered with UKCP and listed with the Irish Council of Psychotherapy. A skilled child & adolescent psychotherapist and qualified clinical supervisor, he works long-term or with a time focused approach (short-term) for those with a clear therapeutic goal i.e. CBT.
Raj’s ethics are based on person-centred values, acceptance, non-judgment and respect while his approach is described as the assimilation and synthesis of concepts, ideas and techniques from different modalities including humanistic-existential, Gestalt, eclectic-integrative multi-modal therapy, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioural, mindfulness and psychodynamic.
He has an MA in psychoanalysis and an MA in integrative child and adolescent counselling and psychotherapy and is a qualified child, adolescent & adult clinical supervisor and a service provider for Aviva Insurance, UK.
He has extensive experience of working with professionals within a clinical setting and working with individuals, adolescents and young children privately.
Rita Gonzales
Advanced Diploma Tutor, London
I am a highly skilled, fully qualified, dedicated, compassionate, empathic integrative counsellor and art psychotherapist. BACP accredited and HCPC registered.
Many of my peers and family tell me that I am a ‘safe pair of hands’: kind, honest, humorous, reliable, hard-working, creative and accepting of my limitations.
I have also accessed therapy for myself through difficult times. I have found these experiences life-changing.
I have over 25 years’ clinical experience working in the NHS, charities, my own private practice, clinical supervision and teaching level 2, 3, 4 person-centred counselling and integrative psychotherapy
My working life began as a psychiatric nurse working in adult mental health.
I then moved on to working with homeless people in London. This is where my counselling career started. I developed an interest in how a secure, confidential space with a qualified therapeutic professionals can help others work through complex, difficult emotions and behaviours.
My experience as a counsellor includes:
- Art therapist with child survivors of sexual abuse in the Tamil community.
- Tutor teaching year 1 and 2 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (Integrative)
- Working in a drug and alcohol agency
- Acute adolescence mental health
- Art therapist end of life care
- 15 years working as a supervisor and trainer for ChildLine/NSPCC
- Working for Missing People, counselling family members of missing people
- 2 years’ experience as a school counsellor at Place2Be
- 18 years’ experience running a small private practice
Qualifications and Training
- MA Art Psychotherapy – Roehampton University (2018)
- MA Counselling and Psychotherapy – University of East London (2004)
- BA Honours Social Science- Open university (2000)
- Diploma in Supervision – CPPD (2007)
- Diploma in Working with Survivors of Abuse – CPPD (2001)
- Diploma in Humanistic Counselling – Lewisham College (1996)
I’m also a lifelong learner, and regularly attend training or continuing professional development (CPD) events.
Jason Housecroft
Advanced Specialist Diploma Tutor, Devon
I am an experienced Adult Psychotherapist (Psychoanalytic / Psychodynamic) trained within the NHS and at CEDAR before establishing a private practice. I am based in Totnes. I will often work with clients who have experienced severe and complex trauma, difficult relational and developmental issues and cover a range of personality disorders.
Previously I started my career working in the theatre having trained as an actor and then later as a theatre director. I was fortunate to work internationally and spent time working in Russia, Spain, South Africa and finally Kenya with the British Council. I returned to the UK and spent 10 years working as a teacher and director. During my time I became Assistant Head in the Arts and the Director of the Performing Arts Centre at Dartington. Upon leaving I commenced my Psychotherapy training and in tandem co-founded Baobab film company which has gone on to become internationally recognised for its films.
I started teaching for Heartwood in 2022 and have thoroughly enjoyed being able to combine my experiences as a teacher and as a therapist.
Jason Rose
Foundation and Advanced Diploma in Counselling Tutor, West Yorkshire
Jason began his therapeutic career 13 years ago when he moved from Portsmouth to South Yorkshire to set up and run a therapeutic horticultural social enterprise. The project engaged those who were disadvantaged in horticultural therapy to improve mental, physical, and emotional health. The project worked with ex-offenders, clients experiencing addiction, Clients with various mental health disorders and engaged with local secondary schools to engage students who were classed as NEET (not in education, employment, and training).
Following this Jason’s experience includes one year providing horticultural therapy for students in both primary and secondary schools across Manchester and five years of clinical practice within a medium secure forensic psychiatric hospital. He currently works full time as a Psychological Therapist for the NHS working across three NHS Trusts. Within this role Jason provides 1-1 psychological therapy for staff, traumatic incident support and mediation. Alongside this Jason has 5 years’ experience lecturing on counselling practice, runs a successful private practice, and provides clinical supervision. Jason’s primary focus for therapy is a nature-based ecotherapy model where he uses the natural environment to encourage clients to explore themselves not as separate, but as part of the connected nature of the environment they are in.
He uses an integrative person-centred approach to therapy. Jason has a passion for workplace wellbeing and for engaging with students to ensure they become the best therapists they can be. Jason believes that all students will follow their own path to becoming a counsellor and he actively encourages and supports students to do this. Jason also believes that his authentic, free-spirited and creative approach to teaching allows the student group to get the most out of their learning experience.
Jason believes that it is a real privilege to enter into a client’s world and to be part of their life story. Jason considers metaphorically that with every session he is creating art, and the more art he creates the more he understands the subjects of the art he is creating.
Sarah Anderton
Advanced Diploma Tutor, Devon
Sarah has a private practice in Devon, offering counselling, supervision, coaching and facilitation to adults. She is a warm, relational counsellor, working from a pluralistic approach. She originally worked in HR, specialising for 15 years in equality and diversity work, especially around disability, gender, race, and harassment and bullying issues. She has always worked across public, private and voluntary sectors, and has enjoyed working with Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), health insurers and an occupational health unit, whilst also offering counselling and supervision privately. Sarah also worked sessionially for 11 years at a national parenting charity, alongside her HR work, and whilst working with very vulnerable families decided to upskill by doing her Level 4 diploma, which then took her in a different direction as a therapist. The journey continues!
Sarah has always worked with groups throughout her career, and enjoys supervising groups. She has experience of supervising across the helping professions, as well as with therapists. She sees supervision as a creative process, a two-way relationship, where everyone gains.
Sarah recently moved to Devon, and is enjoying the sea, local activities, and volunteering at a horse sanctuary. She loves walking with her dog, and nature is important to her.
Debra Grace Jarmain PgDip
Advanced Diploma Tutor, London
Debra is a BACP Registered Counselling Psychotherapist since 2006, who is trained at Postgraduate level. Her current position is as a Forensic Psychotherapist within a secure setting along with an established private practice. Her training modalities are Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Person-Centered Counselling. Her training was one of the last dual modality courses, which means training in two separate theoretical approaches at the same time.
Since qualifying and graduating in 2006 she has run a private practice, supervised, worked as a group facilitator, taught on level 3 and 4, 5 and was Course Coordinator and Lead Tutor for the Foundation Degree, and Acting Pathway Leader. She was also Course Director for an Advanced Contemporary Diploma.
Her experience in Mindfulness informed therapy spans over 10 years and she commits to a mindfulness-based practice daily. Having spent many years exploring meditation (3.5 hours in meditation every Monday for 8 years) and leading workshops she incorporates humanistic, psychodynamic, existential and mindfulness into her practice and teaching.
She has recently taken up piano lessons and finds solace in walking her Patterdale Lakeland Terrier.
Debra attends Sacred Hearts Camp each year in the summer where there is a no phone policy, where she recharges her soul and seeks an inner relationship with self.
Michele Ablett
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
Originally from Stockport near Manchester, Michele has lived in Exeter for 33 years.
After running a business with her husband, she decided to branch out and find her own career path. She embarked on counselling training at Waverley Abbey College, Farnham in 2011, a wholly residential course with a Christian foundation.
In 2018 she was awarded an MA (under auspices of the University of Roehampton). Her research dissertation, ‘Integrating Psychoeducation into Practice’ was adapted and published for ‘Therapy Today’, (BACP, Feb, 2021). Michele is an accredited member of the ACC (Association of Christian Counsellors) and is a Counsellor and Supervisor in Private Practice.
Michele is Mum to five grown up children and enjoys spending time with them, and her two young granddaughters. She is learning Spanish, and enjoys cycling, paddle-boarding, and singing.
Marisa Mansfield
Foundation in Counselling and Advanced Diploma Tutor, London
Marisa originally trained in performing arts at Golden Lane and the Old Vic Youth Theatre and enjoyed a 20+ year career in listed building restoration specialising in Georgian & Regency properties.
Marisa ran a theatre school for disadvantaged young people for 15 years.
She entered into counselling in the 90s because her US-based employer thought it was easier to pay for her to train because so much of her time was being taken up counselling her colleagues.
Marisa acted as a volunteer counsellor & tutor for various charities until she opened her own practice in 2019 where she specialises in relationship, couples and marriage counselling.
Marisa also runs a successful management consultancy, corporate health and fitness business as well as a catering, wedding and event planning company so she is generally a busy girl, but outside of her busy business life, she is a doting de facto Granny and a qualified chef.
Marisa says “I absolutely love tutoring, and enjoy bringing aspects of my theatrical training to tutoring.”
Pamela Mason
Foundation in Counselling Tutor, Devon
After qualifying as an integrative humanistic counsellor, I worked as a counsellor in a local school for several years with young people who had special educational needs whilst expanding my knowledge in the area of autism and ADHD.
In 2013 I began working part-time with young people who had experienced trauma and qualified as an attachment aware and trauma informed lead. More recently I have been working with groups of young people using a CBT-based model to raise their awareness and enable them to recognise negative thinking and to work towards change.
I am currently building my own counselling practice and training to be a corporate well-being coach.
When I am not working, I love to paint and sketch in my favourite place, which is by the sea with my elderly Labrador, Honey, sat close by.
I look forward to meeting you all.
Charlotte Walton
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
Charlotte has been practising as a counsellor for over twenty five years and has worked in a variety of settings including schools, a GP surgery, the YMCA, and on a psychiatric in-patient unit. Passionate about increasing the accessibility of support for young people, she has established counselling services in education and community settings, as well as online services. As well as delivering counselling and clinical supervision, Charlotte has also been involved for twenty years in the teaching of Counselling, Psychology, and Personal Development courses.
Currently working in private practice, she volunteers for a local charity offering counselling to clients who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Through her own love of music, and with an awareness of the depth of connection that singing with others can bring, five years ago, through the charity, she set up a women’s singing group, offering the chance to come together in song for ‘fun and friendship’.
Charlotte’s practice is a Humanistic one, rooted in the healing power of two people coming together and building a therapeutic relationship based on authenticity, acceptance, and understanding.
Sarah Lord
Tutor, Devon
Sarah is now in her third year of teaching at Heartwood, combining her role as a tutor with a safeguarding children role at Devon County Council. She also runs a private practice specialising in counselling children and young people, especially those with Special Educational Needs.
Having worked as a teacher in primary schools for 20 years, Sarah is passionate about providing early mental health support for children and young people. In her spare time, she enjoys writing and has contributed to many publications, including a Children’s Alliance Report for the government about children’s mental health. She is an accredited member of the NCS and on their CYP register, and also contributed to the writing of their CYP Competency Framework.
Sarah was born and raised in the Midlands, so now loves living near the beaches of South Devon; she enjoys spending time there and is learning to paddleboard. She feels very lucky to work in such a beautiful place as Dartington Hall and finds inspiration in seeing her students progress and transform on their journeys to become counsellors.
Trevor Ozanne-Turk
Advanced Diploma Tutor, London
Trevor started his counselling training in 1994, graduating in 1995 with a Level 4 certificate in Counselling. He worked as a volunteer counsellor at a young person’s counselling agency for 8 years, alongside his full-time career in the Fire Service. He left the Fire Service after 20 years to take up counselling full-time in 2001, and eventually ended his volunteer work in 2003.
He has specialised in the field of addictions counselling since 2001, working in front line services, residential rehab, and family services. He left front line work in 2004 to take up a teaching post with Action on Addiction, tutoring students on a Foundation Degree in Addictions Counselling, which later developed into a full Honours Degree.
He left Action on Addiction in 2012 to take up private practice, and offers counselling, supervision, and training from his home base in West Wiltshire.
He has taught counselling across all levels from 2 to 6 at various institutions, including BCPC in Bath, Wiltshire College, Action on Addiction, City of Bristol College and Newman University.
He holds a Level 4 certificate in Counselling, a Level 5 Diploma in Addictions Counselling, a Master’s Degree in Counselling and Supervision and is currently awaiting a Viva Voce examination of his Doctoral Thesis.
Outside of counselling Trevor is a percussionist playing a number of instruments in various styles including Celtic, Middle Eastern, West African, Latin, folk, rock and fusion. He is a keen walker and festival-goer, owner of a VW camper, husband, father, grandfather and follower of the British Pagan tradition.
Jodi Pilcher Gordon
Advanced Diploma Tutor, Devon
Jodi is an Integrative Counsellor in private practice and a registered member of BACP. She is also a Wellbeing Tutor, and has created and run several courses in the Adult Education sector on subjects such as confidence-building, assertiveness, and anxiety management. Jodi is originally from Cornwall and has recently moved back after many years in Bristol working and studying.
She began her career studying English Literature, where she specialised in psychological readings of texts, and based her Masters dissertation on the subject of Identity. After some years using her analytical skills in the corporate realm as a Business Analyst, she then made the decision to follow her passion and retrained in Counselling by completing a further Foundation Degree.
In addition to her private practice, Jodi has been working in the charity sector in Bristol, as a low cost counsellor and as a community mentor for people with complex barriers to employment and education. She has successfully designed and delivered a variety of group workshops and psychoeducational courses to provide wellbeing tools and techniques to those who are on low incomes and/or struggle to access formal therapy.
Jodi describes herself as a huge advocate for the power of therapy, and thoroughly enjoys all the opportunities her work gives her to encourage others to live authentically and to become their true selves.
Wendy Quelch
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
Wendy has been a practising psychotherapist for 5 years: Integrative practitioner, in CBT, humanistic/existential and psychodynamic. Wendy is also lecturer in Psychology. She has been working educationally with children and adults for over 25 years.
Wendy is a Relational Integrated Psychotherapist and an accredited member of the National Counselling Society.
Therapeutically she works chiefly from a humanistic/person-centred base with the client and their world as the starting point. Wendy is an integrated therapist, which means she can incorporate other modes of therapy to so suit client needs: psychodynamic, relational, existentialism and CBT. She recently trained with Dr Gabor Mate in the Compassionate Inquiry approach to Trauma.
Her experience includes colleges and schools, a counsellor for The Brit School, the LGBT community, MindOut, Switchboard and in several charities supporting adult carers and mental health issues. She has worked with people in many diverse settings and with a range of difficulties: neuro-diversity, work and educational stress, addiction, homelessness, schizophrenia and acute clinical diagnosis.
Wendy holds qualifications in BA hons in Psychology and Fine Art, MA in Fine Art, Post Graduate Cert of Education and MA Integrated Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Paul Moulding
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
(he/him)
A registered counsellor with BACP, Paul has been working within the mental health field for the past 16 years. He has a background in careers guidance, helping adults with mental health problems to return to work or retain their employment.
He completed his Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling at Kirklees College in 2018. He has also trained in CBT, Online Counselling, and a Foundation course in Transactional Analysis. Paul is currently training with Relate to be a Couples Counsellor. He recently attended a workshop on Existential Counselling.
Paul worked for Mind as a volunteer counsellor whilst doing his Diploma, and since then has worked on an Employee Assistance Programme, which gave him a lot of experience of working with clients experiencing stress at work. Paul has been working with adults in private practice since 2019.
His life experience has led Paul to a strong belief that mental wellbeing is achieved as a result of taking care of all aspects of ourselves, and that therapy and counselling have an important part to play in achieving that.
Paul first became interested in becoming a counsellor after experiencing how counselling helped him through an episode of anxiety and depression.
Tutoring has been something Paul has enjoyed since being a commercial trainer in retail. He has taught mental health awareness, literacy and numeracy, designed and delivered management development courses and worked as a guest Lecturer at Manchester University, teaching American History.
Paul lives with his partner in West Yorkshire and is a keen walker and cyclist. He has three grown up children. Paul also writes poetry and enjoys cooking historical recipes.
Shireen Pervaiz
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
I have been a teacher for about 20 years, teaching English and Academic Skills to international students in England and abroad. I retrained as an integrative therapist and qualified in 2017. I am a member of the BACP, working towards accreditation and currently working in private practice. I have worked as a counsellor with the mental health charity Mind, with Bereft, a bereavement charity and with Spiral, a holistic centre offering low-cost counselling to people on low incomes. In addition, I work as a specialist mentor, supporting students at universities who have mental health issues to address and overcome barriers to their learning. I am also currently training to be a couples counsellor.
As a teacher, I am passionate about helping students to develop the tools and skills necessary to achieve a successful outcome on their courses. I am committed to delivering student-centred support that motivates and engages students.
Marion Elkin-Greener
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
Hello, I’m Marion but call me Mer!
I am a genuine, down to earth individual with many years of experience in the mental health and addictions field.
I offer and practice virtual video therapy and clinical supervision from my home in the beautiful West Coast of Scotland.
I am a Licensed Psychologist and a Certified Addictions Therapist, working with adults to overcome mental health issues and addiction.
I’m Accredited by the British Association of Cognitive Behavioural Therapists and the National Counselling Society.
I’ve been a Psychologist, Tutor, and Mental Health Trainer for 25 years and I absolutely love what I do.
I was trained and educated in the United States where I graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s in counselling psychology.
I also had a successful private practice in Chicago, IL for over 10 years.
I moved back to Scotland in 2014 and returned to university to complete my Professional Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
I am an integrative psychologist utilising a variety of modalities including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Person-Centred Therapy to name a few. My primary passion is teaching and mental health awareness.
In my spare time, I spend a lot of time at the beach or exploring the local forest preserve with our kids and dogs. I also love photography and to travel as much as I can.
Chris MacDonald
Advanced Diploma Tutor, Devon
Chris has worked as a counselling skills trainer for South Devon College. He was a counsellor for students in Devon high schools for the past 20 years. More recently he has qualified to work as an EMDR practitioner.
As well as tutoring at Heartwood, he has a small private practice as a counsellor, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor.
Chris enjoys cooking, wine making and walking his dog.
Catherine O’Connor
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
Catherine worked in the corporate sector for 15 years supporting the CEO of a law firm where she felt very unfulfilled and desired to expand on her interpersonal/humanistic drive of connection with others. She embarked on her Level 2 CPCAB counselling course and qualified as an integrative therapist back in 2019. She is a member of the BACP, is working towards accreditation and currently works in her private practice where she is passionate in supporting predominantly women going through the menopause. She also works with a counselling charity offering therapy to her local community and takes an active role in supporting counselling trainees. She has experience in working within a hospice and the local council.
Catherine is passionate about teaching and is a Level 2/3 CPCAB tutor for various colleges throughout Kent. Catherine is eager to pass her knowledge to those seeking the same vocation and is dedicated and congruent in that process.
Camilla Holroyd
Foundation in Counselling Tutor and Advanced Diploma Assessor
Camilla is an NCS accredited counsellor and runs a private practice, working integratively with adults as well as children and young people, from her home in North Devon. She also offers eco-therapy, in the beautiful natural surroundings near her home, and animal-assisted therapy with her dog, Penny. Camilla completed her Level 4 at Heartwood and loves being able to work at the place she trained. Prior to counselling, Camilla worked for many years as a teacher in secondary schools and an FE college, and after qualifying as a counsellor and establishing her own practice, is now able to combine her teaching skills with her passion for counselling. Camilla also volunteers with a youth outreach project in her local area, and loves working with teenagers.
Beth Hicks
Advanced Diploma Tutor, Devon
Beth has been teaching at Heartwood for the past two years and feels she has been able to hone her teaching style to integrate theory, real life experiences and her own journey with mental health.
Beth has a sound theoretical knowledge of a wide range of counselling theories, has a special interest in both attachment theory and trauma, and has a vast amount of experience of working with trauma. Beth is a keen advocate for lifelong learning and is dedicated to her continued professional development through reading, studying, listening and learning, all things counselling related.
For Young Devon, Beth has worked as a counsellor in a Plymouth secondary school. For dBs Music College, Beth has worked with students with additional mental health diagnoses including psychosis and schizophrenia. For First Light, Beth has undertaken specialist sexual violence training and worked with survivors of sexual violence for several years.
Beth currently works full-time as a counsellor splitting her time to meet with clients in different locations. Her counselling work takes her into a Plymouth secondary school, she works as an associate counsellor for Psychology Associates, and online in her own private practice. In addition to this Beth works as a specialist mental health mentor and supports several students with their mental health and wellbeing whilst studying for their degrees.
Further to her counselling work, Beth feels continuously invigorated by her teaching role at Heartwood and has taught consistently for the past two years, leading several cohorts through their equivalent to level three foundation course in counselling, both online and in person.
In addition to her counselling qualifications, Beth holds a BA Degree in Drama from an accredited London Drama School and has worked professionally in TV, theatre and film, and co-founded and manages a locally based theatre company – who focus on topical mental health issues – in which she writes, acts and directs.
Danielle Lloyd-Edwards
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
Danielle qualified as a psychotherapist in 2014 having completed an MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy at Birkbeck, University of London.
Having started as a counsellor on placement, she continued her practice in a community-based counselling service in Brighton working with adults and young people at the same time as starting up a private practice in East Grinstead, Sussex. Danielle also completed her Level 4 Certificate in Counselling Children with Place2Be whilst working as a counsellor on placement in primary schools in Kent and Croydon.
As 1/3rd of her master’s at Birkbeck was focused on group work, Danielle then went on to work as a tutor on the group dynamics module of a psychodynamic counselling training in Tunbridge Wells and having trained as a supervisor, also began to offer group supervision to trainee counsellors at the same organisation.
Following on from her work in Tunbridge Wells, Danielle took a position as group facilitator to years 1 and 2 on the Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy BSc at Brighton University, which she found fascinating. At the same time, Danielle worked as Lead Counsellor at a secondary school in Horsham, Sussex.
In 2018 Danielle qualified as a trainer for Place2Be and now delivers Taster Days, Placement Introductory Weekends and Levels 2 and 3 Certificates in Counselling Children.
After moving to North Norfolk in 2019, Danielle then went on to work for a CAMHS linked charity on the 4-11s team, whilst continuing with her private practice working with adults and adolescents. She then went on to take a position as tutor and Programme Lead on the integrative BSc at Matrix College of Counselling and Psychotherapy in Wymondham, Norfolk where she continues to teach several days a month.
Carly Read
Foundation in Counselling Tutor
Carly is a Devon bred therapist with a successful LGBT+ friendly (with a feminist edge) private practice in central London. Though fundamentally an integrative therapist, she specialises in offering creative therapy to children and young people and survivors of trauma and abuse. She believes passionately in potential of art and creative expression to heal.
Carly is also an artist and is currently studying part-time for a Masters in Art and Politics at Goldsmiths University College, while working towards her first London show, in partnership with artists and activists in South Korea. Carly as an art studio in South East London and has exhibited her paintings throughout the South West including PZ Gallery in beautiful West Cornwall.
Carly completed her counselling training at the Iron Mill College in 2017, after graduating with a BA Hons in Religious Studies and Sociology. Following this, she went on to study for a specialist post graduate qualification in working with children and young people at Exeter University. She has experience of working for numerous NGOs such as Woman’s Aid National Office as a domestic abuse specialist, The National Domestic Violence Helpline, The NSPCC, Rape Crisis, an award winning young people’s mental health charity in Bristol (Off the Record) and most recently Kinergy, a charity offering free long term therapy to survivors of sexual abuse.
And on a more personal note, Carly’s greatest love after her paintbrushes is the sea, the Cornish coastline specifically. She returns there again and again as a source of energy and rejunification. Another of Carly’s favourite things is travel, has spent time living and travelling around Eastern Asia, where she developed a deep appreciation for Hello Kitty, hats with ears, Kpop and ramen. Carly has also been in therapy herself for over 10 years at this point, from Gestalt, person-centred counselling, art therapy to psychodynamic psychotherapy. She swears by it.
Mark Hartshorn
CPD Tutor
Mark Hartshorn has designed and taught counselling and supervision courses since 2008. He has taught in private and adult education settings and set up an independent specialist counselling training organisation which he ran for 7 years until 2021. He has around 30 years of experience of working in the field of holistic therapy, counselling and wellbeing. He is author of The Connections Model, a holistic model of wellbeing and connection. He is passionate about empowering others and brings this passion into his teaching which he delivers with humour and realness.
Dinah Mears
Tutor in Relationship Counselling (Advanced Specialist Diploma)
I began my career by training as a State Registered Nurse and then moved into community work running Family Support Groups and a Youth Club for Devon County Council. In 1993 I worked with the International Red Cross resettling traumatised refugee families to Devon from the war in the former Yugoslavia. I began my therapeutic training in 1999, alongside my role in a child protection team where I began to develop an open access support service for parents and children.
While completing both the Foundation and Clinical practice Certificate in Family Therapy from Exeter University’s Department of Psychology, I spent 10 years working as a manager of Family Support Services in the field of Child Protection.
I then worked as a counsellor and trainer with Relate for 10 years, before developing my own private counselling practice. During the last sixteen years, I have also become a specialist trainer and consultant in the field of Domestic Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation. I deliver training on these subjects across the UK.
Outside my work I enjoy swimming, vinyasa yoga and a spot of fairweather camping.
Relationships are the core part of how we function in the world as human beings, and as such my curiosity about them is fundamental to the work that I do whether it is counselling, training or supervision.
Teresa Gray
BA (Hons) Humanities, MA Cultural Studies, PG Cert Coaching and Mentoring, Level 4 Advanced Diploma in Counselling, MNCPS (Acc.)
Foundation in Counselling Assessor
I am a qualified Counsellor, having graduated from Heartwood with a Level 4 Advanced Diploma in Counselling and an MNCPS (Acc.). I assess the Level 3 equivalent courses at Heartwood and have previously taught Level 2 and Level 3 Foundation in Counselling.
I come from a background in art, design and media education bringing 25 years of experience as an educator and curriculum manager in further, higher, and postgraduate education. I have a wealth of experience as a lecturer, pastoral tutor, coach, and mentor.
My concern for student welfare led me to a career in mental health support. I gained a PG Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring and went on to work in the Welfare to Work sector, where I have supported, trained, and coached people, with complex needs and challenges, to manage their mental health as they transition back into employment and/or education/training.
I am a qualified adult Mental Health First Aid instructor (MHFA England ™ Instructor Member). In this capacity, I train individuals and organisations in mental health awareness and as MHfaiders™. I am passionate about developing wellbeing in the workplace and am an advocate for creating and sustaining mentally healthier businesses and communities, in this capacity, I support organisations with mental health awareness initiatives.
I have a private practice offering online counselling.
I am also a great believer in lifelong learning and continuous personal development. In my ‘spare time,’ I am currently studying for an MA in Creative Writing. I also love spending time with my family and friends, being out in nature, whether that’s sitting under the trees at Dartington, walking my dog on Devon and Cornwall beaches in winter, or just sitting in my garden.
Willow Dicker
Foundation in Counselling Assessor
Willow comes from a Social Work background having worked for five years in the field before deciding to leave the profession for a slightly slower pace of life.
Willow has also undertaken her Level 4 training in counselling. Her passion lies with working with children and she has lots of experience in Child Protection, particularly children in care.
Willow marks our Level 3 assessments. Sometimes Willow will come in and help teach the Child Protection and Attachment Theory days on our courses due to her experience and knowledge of the subject.
Dr Phillip A. Rees BA(Hons), ThD, PhD(Psychology), DipCoun, DipPTSC, CertSuper, MISMA, FRSPH, FCollT, FCIEA, FRSA, Member of the Chartered College of Teachers, Licensed NLP Practitioner,
Heartwood External Examiner/Verifier
I have had the privilege of being involved in the training of counsellors and psychotherapists in Independent, Further and Higher Education centres of learning. I have worked as a Lecturer and Programme Manager to a large Counselling Department at a Further Education College in Birmingham. I have delivered Counselling Training Courses, Summer Schools and Workshops throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland – and in Gibraltar! I have written a wide range of training courses from Level 2 to Level 6 for a major Awarding Body which have been delivered all over the UK. In addition, I wrote a Training Manual for Pharmacists in counselling skills and practise which was published by the University of Manchester and used as the core material for training Pharmacists across England and Scotland. I have also been External Examiner to the University of Greenwich and the University of Nottingham.
I worked for AQA (Counselling) for nearly twenty years as an External Verifier, Chair of Examiners for twelve years and Chief External Verifier for two years. From 2014, I have been working with AIM Awards as an External Verifier to their Counselling programmes of learning within FE, HE and Independent Training Centres.
In 2013, I was appointed by the National Counselling Society as their Independent Assessor, and act as External Examiner and Verifier to a number of Independent Centres who have chosen the NCS route for the accreditation of the counselling training courses.
