Mary Elliott, Child Psychotherapist

Creative, relational, inclusive, attachment-based therapy for children, parents, carers and families.

About me

For twenty-five years I’ve been offering therapeutic care to children and families as youth worker, social worker and, for fifteen years, as a child psychotherapist.

Beginning in a therapeutically minded support service for young people, my first trainings were in youth work and counselling. After qualifying as a social worker, I specialised in individual child therapy in an NSPCC post abuse therapeutic service.

It was whilst working for the NSPCC that I trained in child psychotherapy, later going on to work in the NHS in a CAMHS service for looked after children, using my expertise in therapeutic work with this vulnerable young client group in a multi-disciplinary team.

For the last twelve years, in my wide-ranging private practice, I have offered individual child psychotherapy, parent, foster carer and family work, supervision, consultation and teaching. For three years, running a secondary school therapy service.

Also for the last twelve years, I’ve been a clinical supervisor of child psychotherapists in training, on the MA Integrative Child Psychotherapy at IATE. I’ve been proud to be part of an organisation leading the way in relational, attachment-based, integrative child psychotherapy in the UK.

As a teacher and trainer, for five years I taught the Childhood and Adolescent Lifecycle module on the highly respected Attachment-based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy training at The Bowlby Centre.

I have an MA in Social Work from the University of York and an MA in Integrative Child Psychotherapy, with Distinction, from the Institute for Arts and Therapy in Education (IATE).

My approach

“I use play and creative arts to gently get alongside and understand how relationships and experiences have shaped a child’s internal emotional world.”

Individual child therapy

Using play, art and creativity within psychotherapy I help children and young people express themselves fully, including those things which are difficult to talk about. I help to make sense of what a child or young person shows me through their play and through their relationship with me.

My approach is inclusive, empathic, attuned, playful and sensitive. I use my experience and knowledge to support children, young people and their families in a process of exploration, change and growth, reducing distress and difficult to manage feelings.

In my clinical work at the Sunflower Centre in SE4, I use my creative approach to focus on individual psychotherapy with primary school and pre-teen age groups.

With a qualification in teaching yoga, I draw on this experience to bring an embodied dimension to the regulation and integration of feelings, collaborating with children and families on yoga and mindfulness practices, where there is interest in these approaches.

Parent, carer and family sessions

For parents and carers, having a professional listening ear to make sense of a child’s difficulties, or to discuss the challenges of being a parent, can be an invaluable support.

The most helpful way to support a child can sometimes be to resource parents to be the primary source of emotional support, rather than for a child to attend therapy. Parent sessions can offer increased insight and understanding and practical strategies.

At other times, the best support could be for a family to have a therapeutic space all together: to talk, to play, to be and to become – collaborating on ways to weather life’s challenges, whatever they may be.

I offer a flexible and collaborative approach to parent and family sessions and meetings can be face to face and/or online.

Attachment and trauma

I have extensive experience of long term psychotherapy with children with complex difficulties, particularly children with experience of disrupted attachments and early trauma. I welcome contact from organisations, e.g. social care, fostering agencies, adoption support services and schools, to do this specialist work.

Supervision

As an experienced clinical supervisor I offer supervision to integrative child psychotherapists, professionals of other therapeutic backgrounds, social workers and the broader helping professions. Please do get in touch if you’re interested in supervision.

Consultation

I offer individual and network consultation to professionals in supporting children to promote attachment aware and trauma informed thinking.

Child psychotherapy consultation supports the process of reflecting on and making sense of the experiences, feelings and behaviour of children to promote best possible care.

Contact me

melliott109@gmail.com

Please email to arrange a free 15 minute phone call, or for further information.