Jessie Fuller (my pronouns are She/her)

I am a therapist specialising in working with children and young people. My original training is an MA in Art Psychotherapy from Roehampton University and I am also trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing) and working with trauma. 

I have over 20 years' experience working therapeutically with children, young people and their parents in a number of settings. For the past 9 years I have worked as a children and young person's art psychotherapist and senior practitioner for a domestic abuse charity. Prior to this I worked for a therapy support service in primary and secondary schools and with young carers. I have worked for an independent organisation offering therapy to survivors of child and sexual abuse and for young people with disabilities. Other settings have included working in an inpatient child and mental health service for deaf children and young people, a residential service for children with acquired head injury and as a practitioner in a nursery setting. I have completed many continuing professional development courses to broaden my skills in therapy sessions. I regularly integrate EMDR into sessions which I have found to be a successful intervention alongside creative therapy approaches including sand tray and storytelling. I also have experience using CATT (Child Accelerated Trauma Treatment) and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). Sessions are adapted to suit individual needs. 

Support around the child/young person is integral to my approach and extends beyond individual therapy sessions. Without supporting the parent/carer then change for the child/young person is hard to achieve. Therefore, good working relationships with the child/young person's network is important for therapy to be effective. Sometimes it may be helpful to contact other professionals involved such as a teacher or social worker or make an onward referral. However, confidentiality of the client is also very important and so, dependent on age and stage, all communication with parents/other adults is negotiated with the child/young person. Sessions are adapted to suit individual needs dependent on the age and therapeutic needs of the client. Ways of best meeting the child/young person's communication needs would be discussed in the initial meeting with the parent/carer and with the child/young person during the first few sessions of therapy. Ways of working in the therapy room may include: verbal, nonverbal, play, drawing, painting, clay, trauma processing, writing. The child/young person and I work to co-create a safe therapeutic space and relationship in which they can explore and express themselves and their challenges in a way that makes sense to them.