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Richard has worked with children, young people and adults since completing his psychotherapy training in 1998, since this time he has continued to add to his skills and areas of expertise.
Prior to this time he worked for some 7 years with adolescents who were displaying  high risk behaviours when he developed and pioneered the first therapeutic groupwork programme for the Scottish Prison Service which addressed problematic sexualised behaviour. He then went to work for the New Zealand Government developing therapeutic services and returned to the UK in 2003 to develop his private psychotherapy practise.
Throughout his career he has continued to embrace the most up to date approaches (EMDR etc) and harnesses this understanding to help recovery of both adult and children.
In 2002 he assisted in New Zealand for over a year in developing and facilitating therpapeutic interventions for children. He also acted as a consultant for other specilist treatment units by sharing his knowledge and understanding of what increases responsivity in therapeutic interventions.
His interest in attachment, trauma and dissociation has grew out of recognising the link between childhood adverse events and latter distress. He has in particular advocated for a greater need to understand and harness the approaches which can help children recover, particulary within Looked after children environments.
In such instances he draws on his experience of managing and developing Therapeutic Communities for both adults (Personality disordered) and children (trauma) in the UK.
He is a member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation psychotherapy training programme faculty and has runs a specilist clinic for adults who are experiencing symptoms related to dissociative disorders or complex trauma.
Publications and Presentations (selection):
August 2007: Publication, Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, A 24 / 7 approach to helping children and young people who have experienced trauma. 
June 2007: SIRCC conference presentation, working with young people who have experienced complex trauma and dissociation in resdidential care,
July 9th 2006 European Perspectives on Trauma & Dissociation: UKSSD conference Norwich; presented on The 24/7 approach to helping those who have experienced trauma: social milieu and the CARE model (Cross, 2006)
14th March 2006 Young Lives Today – Conference Glasgow: The Links between Trauma and High risk offending behaviour in children and adolescent.
October 2005 High Risk: the need for effective interventions, assessment and treatment of juvenile Psychopathy: the possible link with trauma; publication Community Care magazine.
Invitations to Change (ITC Programme) for which I was the co-author, subsequently published by New Zealand Government as an training manual and therapeutic programme for use with all youth held within Correction facilities in New Zealand,
2003 Rotorua New Zealand - Paper presented at National Psychological Service conference. “Communication the key to responsivity in therapeutic interventions with children” e.g. using innovative techniques in the therapy process.
2003 – Seeding a technique of Milton Erickson published in the NCH newsletter,
2004- Severe Conduct Disorder: the need for early assessment and intervention; paper published in BPS Scottish Bulletin,
November 1998: A support structure for those experiencing critical incidents. The Prison service journal
Publications in European Society for Traumatic stress newsletter, Open University Psychological Society, The Psychologist ….etc.
Selection of qualifications held:
2007 - 2008: child clinical assessment training,
2007 - 2008: Post Qualifying Diploma in counselling children and youg people,
EMDR training parts I, II & III approved by EMDRIA
2006 - Present: Member of the Training Faculty for the Dissociative Disorders Psychotherapy Training Programme - ISSTD,
October 2007 - The Sanctuary Institute leadership 5 day training programme @ The Andrus Children's Centre, New York with Dr Sandra Bloom (Trauma informed systems approach for residential child care)
June 2007 - Treatment of complex trauma in children: dissociation with Fran Waters
January 2007 - Broken Bonds: healing attachment at trauma with Janina Fisher,
2006 - Present: Member of National Hypno-Psychotherapy Council Executive Committee,
February 2006 – August 2006 – Advanced Dissociative Disorders Psychotherapy Training Programme (A-DDPTP),
2005 - European certificate in Psychotherapy (ECP), awarded from European Association for Psychotherapy,
December 2002: BSc (Hons) Psychology, Granted Graduate Basis of registration and membership of British Psychological Society,
August 1998 - 2002 : Completed with credit Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy with Centre Training School which lead after 4 years to United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy registration,
December 1997 – April 1999: certificate, diploma and advanced diploma in stress management training which was accredited by Sheffield Hallam University. Member of International Stress Management Association until 2003.
October 2004 – June 2005: DDPTP - International Society for the Study of Dissociation (Currently a full member) Psychotherapy Training for Dissociative Disorders / trauma e.g. treatment, assessment etc
2003 – Present: attendance at various training events e.g. CORE system assessment training, attachment disorder and treatment, conducting a mental health examination, personality disorders assessment / treatment, server conduct disorder, supervision training etc.
1991 – 2001: COSCA counselling skills course, groupwork skills, critical incident debriefing, training for trainers (suicide risk management), risk and needs assessments, Brief psychotherapy and hypnosis for PTSD by Jeffery Zeig, using drama Geese Theatre Company etc.
June – August 2002: 21 days training in therapeutic groupwork and use of advanced role play techniques in therapy, training in use of adapted techniques for use with children and learning disabilities e.g. pictures, gestures, drama, games etc, Adapted SOTP and CORE SOTP training..... etc |
