Meet
the Team
We are a warm and passionate team of highly qualified and experienced therapists who hold a diverse range of therapeutic trainings such as Child Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Art Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapeutic Counselling.
We also provide clinical placements for students studying on therapeutic trainings. Students are well supported both through regular clinical supervision and being part of such an experienced team.
Our therapists carry out comprehensive therapeutic assessments with children, their family systems and their school community to identify the most helpful therapeutic package for them and work collaboratively to deliver it.
All our therapists work in a systemic or holistic way which means they consider the child’s needs in their family, education and community systems. The therapist will then develop an individual, tailored therapeutic package for that child which may involve recommendations for supporting other aspects of that child’s world to effect the most meaningful change.
All our therapists receive regular clinical supervision appropriate to their level of experience and training, have up to date DBS checks in place, hold professional registration and indemnity insurance appropriate for their work.
Vacancies
We sometimes have opportunities for trainee and paid therapist positions in the team. These will be advertised on our website. If you are interested in working with us, please email us on hello@heldinmind.co.uk.
Ruth Lazarus
Hello, I’m Ruth Lazarus. I’m one of the founders and directors at Held in Mind. My role is to oversee and manage the clinical and therapeutic aspects of the service. I am a Play Therapist by trade, qualifying in 2005, and for the past 12 years worked in Tier 3 and specialist CAMHS teams. My background is working in Primary and Secondary Schools, community youth projects and specialist residential units with children in local authority care. I am also a clinical supervisor and trainer. I hold professional registration with BAPT which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. For the past 6 years I have been Chair of Directors for BAPT and been on their Board of Directors for 12 years. I am a Mancunian who followed her heart to live by the sea in Brighton and I love live music, yoga and hanging out with my 2 young children, partner and friends.
Alison Lucas
Hello, I’m Alison Lucas. I’m one of the founders and directors at Held in Mind. My role here is to manage the administration, finance and development of the service, to enable us to reach and help as many families as possible. As a Trustee of Dolphin House Charity I helped to set up this project back in 2013, working with a group of primary schools in Brighton. I have seen the incredible impact of the work we have achieved over those years and it has become a passion of mine to help the project evolve to its own Community Interest Company in order to develop it further and ensure a strong future. I have spent my whole professional life in the business and finance sector in a range of organisations both large and small. I hold a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).
Kerri Tilson
I am a Child Psychotherapist on the school therapy team. I trained as a Social Worker in 2001 and gained an MA in Child Psychotherapy in 2011. I have worked as a Social Worker in London for several years and then as a Team Leader with Kids Company Charity for 7 years. I have worked as a Child Psychotherapist in various charitable organisations since my training, including Life Centre, Sussex and Held in Mind. I also hold my own private practice. I hold Social Work England registration and am an accredited member of MBACP.
I am passionate and driven to deliver therapy to children who have experienced trauma and life altering events in their lives; so that they can feel understood and regain the confidence to grow and develop into healthy happy individuals.
Ruth Bruell
I am a Systemic Psychotherapist on the school’s therapy team. I work with family groups in schools and in the wider community. I have an MA in Systemic Psychotherapy from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, am UKCP registered, and have experience of working in NHS CAMHS clinics, primary and secondary schools and with couples for Relate. Prior to my therapeutic training I qualified and worked as a Secondary School Teacher for 15 years. I work privately with families, couples and individuals either in person or by videocall.
Nadja Woodason-Zeige
I am an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist working on the adult therapy team. I’ve trained in a number of approaches and my training combines in-depth competency in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), strong humanistic values and psychodynamic awareness. An area of interest for me is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and I’ve completed a specialist training in psychological treatments for ADHD Adolescents and Adults. I aim to provide a safe, non-judgmental, empathetic space where my clients can feel able to speak safely and openly to tell their story and be heard. I find it most helpful for my clients to receive a tailored collaborative approach that suits their individual needs best.
I have been privileged over the past 15 years to work with people from many walks of life and in a range of settings including NHS, Clinical Health Psychology, Charities and Private Practice. I currently run my own private practice and can be contacted on info@brightonareatherapy.co.uk.
I also have experience in delivering Low Mood, Assertiveness, Anxiety and Stress workshops.
I am a member of the British Psychological Society (MBPsS), Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and Accredited Member of The National Counselling Society (MNCA Accred).
Melanie Pollard
I am a Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counsellor on the adult therapy team. I completed my clinical placement with the Held in Mind team and have worked for them since in a freelance capacity. Alongside becoming a Humanistic Counsellor (PG DIP), I have worked for over 28 years with young people and families, as a Youth Worker and also as a Family Coach. I am currently completing some additional training in Compassionate Inquiry and my previous trainings include Dip in Youth and Community Work, Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring and Certificate in Counselling Skills. I have experience in relationship building, conflict resolution, reducing Child-to-Parent Abuse, reducing risk-taking behaviours, clarifying boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and reducing parental stress and anxiety. This work is based upon a non-judgemental and open approach that engenders a sense of sustainable intervention so that the young people and families can together move forward with their lives.
I am a registered member of BACP and Psychotherapy MBACP Member of BACP and I adhere to the BACP ethical guidelines for practice.
https://www.melaniepollardtherapies.com
Jane Divall
Jane Divall
I’m a Play Therapist on the school’s therapy team. I am a full member of BAPT and on the BAPT register, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
Beth Stamper
Beth Stamper
I’m a Play Therapist on the school’s therapy team. I am a full member of BACP and on the BACP register, accredited by the Professional Standard Authority (PSA).
Hester Smith
Hester Smith
I am a qualified counsellor and BAPT accredited Play Therapist with sixteen years experience of working therapeutically with children and young people with an age range of four years to late adolescence.
I originally trained as an adult counsellor, qualifying in 2005, and worked with Brighton Cruse Bereavement Care and ‘As You Are’, a local Community Counselling Service.
I followed my counselling diploma (2005) with training in Person-Centred Art Therapy and an M.A. with Distinction in Non-Directive Play Therapy (Roehampton, 2011).
I began working with children in 2006, with Cruse and then Cabrini Children’s Society, Dialogue Schools Counselling Service and The Dolphin House Children’s Clinic. I have been part of the Held In Mind School Counselling Service since its inception in 2013 when it was known as the Dolphin House Schools Counselling Service and have worked across many of the Brighton & Hove Primary Schools. I have supported children and young people with a wide range of issues including bereavement, anxiety, low self-esteem, domestic abuse, substance misuse, illness and disability and family breakdown. I have worked with children in care and children on the autistic spectrum. I use a range of approaches, for example sand-tray, toys, puppets, art and sensory materials, to help children and young people share and explore their emotions in an age appropriate and safe way.
Catalina Andreescu
I am a Child Psychotherapy trainee on the school therapy team. I am a currently completing the first year of MA Integrative Child Psychotherapy training with IATE (Institute of Arts and Therapy in Education). I am a professionally qualified Social Worker with over 14 years experience in a variety of roles, settings and locations, including Safeguarding, Multiagency, Specialist Domestic Abuse, Early Intervention Services and voluntary sector. I worked with children across all ages, from birth to latency and adolescence, including adolescent parents, from diverse backgrounds, who presented with a range of issues and complex difficulties.
I am also a certified yoga instructor, with a specific interest in supporting children with additional needs and disabilities. I trained at Special Yoga, London, 2016.
I hold a BA in Social Work (2002), an MA in Cultural Anthropology (2004), Practice Teaching Award in Social Work (2011), PG Diploma in Psychoanalytic Studies and Infant Observation (Tavistock and Portman, 2015) and a PG Certificate in the Therapeutic Use of Arts (IATE, 2020).
Emily McDonald
I am a Family and Systemic Practitioner (IFT, 2022), and an HCPC registered Music Psychotherapist (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 2008) working with the school’s therapy team. I have many years experience working with children and adults with a wide range of issues including autism, learning and physical difficulties, dementia, trauma, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and mental health problems. I have worked in many different settings and for organisations including CAMHS (where I continue on placement), Kids Company, Belltree Music Therapy Service, and Guildcare. I am also a trained musician and I teach, arrange, and perform regularly as well as directing my own choir.
Natasha Goldreich
I am a Play Therapist on the school’s therapy team. I gained an MA in Play Therapy in 2021 and have since worked under Held in Mind and privately. I previously completed my trainee clinical placement within the Held in Mind team. My approach encompasses all my beliefs and strengths in allowing the child to express themselves through play, relying less on verbal communications and starting from where the child is rather than where ‘we’ wish them to be. Prior to becoming a Play Therapist I trained as a teacher and gained my PGCE in 2000 and my QTS in 2001. I worked as an Early Years teacher for 13 years in Brighton.
I am also a certified yoga instructor, with a specific interest in supporting children with additional needs and disabilities. I trained at Special Yoga, London, 2016.
I hold a BA in Social Work (2002), an MA in Cultural Anthropology (2004), Practice Teaching Award in Social Work (2011), PG Diploma in Psychoanalytic Studies and Infant Observation (Tavistock and Portman, 2015) and a PG Certificate in the Therapeutic Use of Arts (IATE, 2020).
I am a full member of BAPT and on the BAPT register, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
Cloe Jackson
Cleo Jackson
I am a trainee Integrative Arts Psychotherapist on the adult therapy team. I am currently studying on the MA in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy training at IATE, London.
Chloe Mack
Hello, my name is Chloe, I am a Play Therapist located in East Sussex.
My experience and knowledge of children/young people’s developmental needs has been supported by my academic journey and the jobs I’ve had.
I began working in Early Years, where I practiced as a Nursery Nurse, while studying my Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies with Psychology.
It broadened my understanding of Neurodiversity and how to support children with learning needs. Which allowed me to I apply myself, when I was a Respite Worker, for families and young carers, a Teaching Assistant at a Special Educational Needs school and Therapeutic Support Worker in Residential Care.
Through these roles, I was introduced to creative therapies, which correlated with my passion for creative expression and play. I enrolled on the Masters of Arts in Play Therapy, I went on to completed my placement hours and additional work through the guidance of Held in Mind.
Mandy Richards
Mandy Richards
I am an Integrative Child Psychotherapist (MA) on the school’s therapy team. I work therapeutically with children and young people age 5-17 years. My work incorporates use of the arts and play to develop and promote emotional and psychological wellbeing. Using an ‘integrative’ approach means I draw upon a range of theories and applications to work effectively with the needs of each unique individual. I work with a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, bereavement and self-harm, and has a special interest in working with children who have experienced early trauma and where early significant relationships may have been stressful and frightening rather than nurturing. Her experience includes working with children with special needs. I work holistically with the important people in the children’s lives, offering support and advice to parents, carers and professionals. I am accredited by UCKP and I am a member of BACP.
Other services
1 to 1 Therapy with children
1 to 1 Therapy with parents and carers
Professional Consultation, advice and support
Groupwork
Family Therapy
School Partnership
Get in touch
We’d love to discuss how we can help.
Contact us to arrange a meeting or discuss your needs.
Email: hello@heldinmind.co.uk
