Jill Davice Bird

I can help with emotional distress and psychological difficulties caused by loss, trauma, and intergenerational family problems. I offer long-term weekly therapy groups for adults who would like to work in this way. I’m a qualified Group Work Practitioner and am on a Qualifying Course in Group Analytic Psychotherapy.

I have found that therapy in a group provides a nurturing environment within which it becomes possible to recover from traumatic experiences and also to participate in the therapy of other group members. Therapy comes from being able to put difficult feelings and thoughts into words, and as group members learn to be themselves with others. This type of therapy is often a very effective way to approach a variety of problems and life situations. These include anxiety, depression, interpersonal difficulties, low self-esteem, and psychosomatic conditions. Group analysis is also concerned with uncovering the undeveloped aspirations and creativity of group members.

Laura Pierrepont

Laura is a caseworker working as part of the perinatal team and has experience in working with women and families in the perinatal period. Her role involves working with women in pregnancy and the first year of baby’s birth who are currently in therapy or wanting to access therapy. Laura works in a holistic and compassionate way to support women practically and emotionally with a range of difficulties which could include challenges with housing provision, access to finance and benefits and liaising with other support services and signposting alongside brief interventions for anxiety.

Gemma Ridge

Gemma is an accredited psychotherapist and EMDR practitioner working for the perinatal team. As an integrative therapist, she uses a variety of approaches and modalities depending on what the client needs. She believes the most important part of her work is building a warm and compassionate relationship with her clients so they can talk in a safe and trusting space. She has experience of working in a variety of settings including the probation service and working for an adoption support service. She also has experience of working in the private sector and as a clinical supervisor.

Peri O’Connor

Peri is warm, calm and compassionate and offers therapy where clients are accepted just as they are. She works with clients in a supportive way, leading to fresh perspectives and helping people make lasting life changes. Peri is a BACP registered psychotherapist/counsellor using TA (Transactional Analysis – a form of therapy that helps to explain why we think, feel and behave in the way we do). She has experience of working in a variety of settings, including schools, further education, care homes, the voluntary sector and the NHS.

Lorraine Fothergill

Lorraine is an integrative person-centred psychotherapist with additional training in Dialectic Behaviour Therapy and other therapeutic approaches. She has extensive experience working in many different settings including Mind, NHS, and educational settings. She also has a private practice in York. She has great resolve to help clients make meaningful, lasting change and enable a resilient sense of well-being. She is a person with natural warmth and cares very much about the work clients are able to do with her. She has worked with a broad profile of clients bringing many different issues, none of whom are less important than another.

Kirsty Grant

Kirsty is a BACP accredited therapist working with clients referred to the core WCTS service. She works in an integrative, relational way, tailoring her approach to suit the needs of each client and has had experience working within the NHS as well as Further and Higher Education settings. She is passionate about supporting clients in developing further understanding of themselves and their needs, as well as working towards making positive changes in their lives.

Alison Herbert

Alison is a qualified Art Psychotherapist. She is registered with The Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC), The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) and a member of BACP (MBACP). She works with clients with a wide range of needs and adapts her approach to meet the individual’s needs. She has a trauma informed approach to her work and is experienced with working with vulnerable adults with complex needs, such as childhood trauma and abuse, attachment difficulties, neurodiversity, stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and relationship difficulties. Her approaches and training include working creatively, a sensorimotor body mapping approach and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). Her everyday role includes supporting clients individually as well as delivering a long-term art psychotherapy group.

Services offered: Counselling and We llbeing through learning

Mbola Holisoa

Holisoa Andriambolanoro, also known as Mbola, is a qualified person-centred therapist, BACP registered. Her experience includes working with vulnerable adults with complex needs, such as attachment difficulties, domestic violence and histories of sexual abuse, and she also has experience of working with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and relationship difficulties. As well as English, Mbola is fluent in French and Malagasy, her native language.

Mbola works closely with her clients, creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment to explore whatever is troubling them. To help her clients move forward on their journey, she combines her therapeutic knowledge with body awareness, mindfulness and creativity, all gained from experience of working in the NHS, the voluntary sector and being an ex-professional dancer.

Raquel Losa-Hicking

Raquel’s role involves supporting Women and Girls with complex and multiple needs. Working holistically, she offers one-to-one practical and emotional support for women who’ve been affected by sexual violence, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. The work is person-centred and aims to empower women and girls to help them make informed positive choices in moving forwards with their lives. Support can consist of building resilience, coping strategies and self-esteem right through to promoting independence, issues around isolation, and further understanding around personal safety, healthy relationships and understanding the impacts of abuse.

Jaz O’Reilly

Jaz works as a therapist based in the community, mainly within the 50+ Project, taking the service out to those who live community-wide. She offers one-to-one long-term therapy and also runs a yoga class to provide a more holistic approach. Before joining WCTS she worked with bereaved clients at Cruse, Leeds, and also with GIPSIL, Children and Young People’s service, offering long-term therapy to under 25s with multiple and complex mental health issues.

Services offered: Counselling and Access/outreach