Meet the team
Dr Freddie Byrne
HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist Clinical Director of Living with ABI Ltd
AREAS COVERED:
LONDON • SURREY • HAMPSHIRE • KENT
Freddie is a clinical psychologist and supervisor with a special interest in supporting brain injury survivors and their families, including where there are issues of clinical complexity and risk.
Freddie has completed further training in family therapy and is passionate about applying this knowledge to supporting families living with acquired brain injury. In 2019 he travelled to Melbourne to work with the internationally recognised Bouverie Centre to train in their “single session” model of narrative therapy for families living with ABI.
Freddie is known for his consistent and respectful approach to engaging individuals, families, and staff teams. He is experienced in providing clinical leadership, working within a family sensitive approach to neuro rehabilitation.
“I believe that families living with brain injury face unique challenges. That’s why I’ve dedicated my career to supporting them. It’s a privilege to hear their stories and work to make sure that the needs of families are considered alongside those of ABI survivors.”
Dr Jessica Daley
HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist
AREAS COVERED:
SURREY • HAMPSHIRE • SOUTH LONDON
Jessica is a Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in neuropsychology and working with families, children, and young people.
Jessica’s experience includes working within neuro-rehabilitation settings for adults with acquired brain injury and other neurological illnesses, supporting young people and their families with neurodevelopmental disorders and chronic health conditions. Jessica has recently completed further training in family therapy at The Tavistock and Portman, alongside supporting children and their families in a health and social care setting. She is looking forward to starting a new role completing neurodevelopmental assessments with people with suspected Autism Spectrum Conditions, alongside her work at Living with ABI Ltd.
“Having first-hand experience of living with chronic health conditions, I can appreciate the physical and emotional toll they can have on the individual, as well as impact on family life and relationships. Working with young people and their families has taught me that each person and family is unique, everyone if affected differently by acquired brain injury and chronic health conditions. I believe that we all cope with life’s challenges as best we can. When working with families I’m interested in hearing about what’s currently going well as well as well as what is more challenging, worries and hopes for the future.”
Dr Kara Deering, HCPC
Registered Forensic Psychologist
AREAS COVERED:
DERBY • HAMPSHIRE • SURREY
Kara is a Forensic Psychologist with a special interest in the assessment and bespoke support of individuals who are living with brain injury, mental health difficulties, and who have a forensic risk history.
Kara’s experience includes working within both inpatient and community adult mental health settings, spending the last 3 years working with families in social care. Kara has completed specialist forensic risk assessments for individuals who have committed a range of offences, including those who live with vulnerabilities such as brain injury, neurodiversity, and mental health difficulties. Taking a compassionate and person-centred approach to assessment, Kara has been able to support individuals to better understand their offending behaviour within the context of their lived experiences.
“Forensic risk and brain injury are often misunderstood and can result in poorer outcomes for survivors of brain injury and their families. I believe in taking a non-judgemental approach to exploring the possible links between someone’s unique brain injury and their criminal behaviour to support adults to desist from crime and lead fulfilling lives.”
Dr Jocelyne Kenny
Principal Clinical Psychologist and Systemic & Family Psychotherapist
AREAS COVERED:
KENT • SOUTH EAST LONDON
Jocelyne has 12 years’ experience working as a Clinical Psychologist in the NHS, the past 8 of which have been spent in specialist Neuropsychology and ABI services. Jocelyne has developed a high-quality private practice alongside her NHS role and enjoys applying her knowledge and skills to the two different contexts.
In recent years, Jocelyne has focused her expertise on supporting brain injury survivors and their families and has a specific interest in working with couples following ABI. This led her to recently complete additional training to also practice as a Systemic & Family Psychotherapist. Following this, she set up a family & couple therapy clinic in her local NHS Neuropsychology service in response to seeing the need for families and couples to be given their own ‘space’ and has found it rewarding to see the benefits.
Jocelyne is Chair of a national special interest group for psychologists who work with families following ABI. She is involved in a number of NIHR funded research projects and lectures trainee clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists on Systemic Approaches to Neuropsychology.
“My career has developed in response to ‘following the feedback’ from the families that I worked with. I heard how families also felt affected by ABI but often spoke of feeling unsupported by services. I became “dual qualified” as a Clinical Psychologist and Family Therapist, so I could blend my expertise to help families who found themselves living with the massive changes that can happen after ABI. My approach is ‘both and’, making sure that ‘both’ the person with the ABI ‘and’ the family are respectfully considered and supported.”
Dr Gemma Perman
Clinical Psychologist, supervisor and trainer
AREAS COVERED:
SURREY • HAMPSHIRE • SOUTH LONDON
Gemma is a clinical psychologist, supervisor, and trainer who completed her clinical psychology training at the University of Surrey. She has extensive experience in NHS and private settings, including senior roles managing other psychologists and health professionals. She worked as a lecturer on the University of Surrey Clinical Psychology training programme, teaching, conducting research, and mentoring psychologists
Gemma specializes in using Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) to help individuals cultivate self-compassion and manage challenging emotions such as shame and self-criticism. Her therapeutic approach integrates evidence-based methods, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), and CFT, to tailor treatments to each person’s needs, whilst also attending to their cultural and social-political contexts. Gemma is known for creating a safe, non-judgmental space where people can explore their difficulties and strengths collaboratively
With a particular interest in supporting people healing from trauma, Gemma is dedicated to helping clients develop compassionate tools to navigate life’s challenges. She also has experience in adapting therapy according to a person's neurodiversity needs. She has expertise promoting the wellbeing of healthcare professionals through consultation and training, drawing on compassion and trauma-focused models.
Gemma has published peer reviewed scientific papers exploring the uncontrollable nature of worry in anxiety, the effectiveness of Compassion-Focused therapy for self-criticism and understanding morally injurious experiences.
Dr Danielle Kirley
Clinical Psychologist
AREAS COVERED:
EAST SURREY • KENT
Danielle is a Clinical Psychologist, specialising in supporting individuals, couples and families who have experienced trauma and adversity, including brain injury. She has spent the last 4 years working with families in social care and is now working in adoption services, alongside her work at Living with ABI Ltd.
Danielle’s experience includes working with adults, children and families across a variety of settings, including mental health, forensic, learning disability, and social care. Danielle is known for utilising a compassionate, trauma-informed and collaborative approach to therapy. She is experienced in supporting individuals who have experienced PTSD. She is also in the process of undertaking her intermediate level family therapy training.
“The impact of brain injury can reach far beyond the survivor themselves, and can elicit intense and complex emotions, which can be understandably difficult to manage at times. I am therefore passionate about supporting brain injury survivors and their families to feel understood, valued and truly supported.”
Dr Andrea Shortland
Clinical Psychologist
AREAS COVERED:
KENT • SOUTH EAST LONDON
Andrea is a clinical and forensic psychologist and clinical supervisor with a special interest in working therapeutically with children, adults and families struggling with PTSD and complex trauma.
Andrea has worked as a psychologist for over 20 years across a range of settings including forensic/prison, adult and child mental health services, social care, independent practice and the charitable sector. Andrea is accredited in a range of therapeutic approaches including: attachment focused therapies such as DDP and Theraplay; and trauma focused therapies such as EMDR and Children’s Accelerated Trauma Technique (CATT). Andrea is an EMDR consultant/supervisor.
“Traumatic experiences lie at the root of many confusing and distressing difficulties for people. Often phobias, repeated interpersonal difficulties, nightmares and even offending behaviours can be understood and helped by addressing the early traumatic experiencing fuelling these issues. I believe my strength lies in blending a range of therapeutic approaches and to find respectful, creative, playful and accessible or tolerable ways for clients to address trauma.”
Dr Alexandra Richards
Clinical Psychologist
AREAS COVERED:
LONDON
Alexandra is a Clinical Psychologist with a specialist interest in neuropsychology and supporting individuals with marginalised identities through health adjustments. She has worked across the NHS and third-sector for 14 years.
Her background includes working across the full spectrum of brain injury rehabilitation, from acute hospital settings to long-term adjustment support. She also has broad experience with adults facing long-term health conditions, which enhances her ability to support individuals whose health challenges may intersect with brain injuries.
Alexandra has significant experience addressing concerns related to sexuality and gender, with a focus on working with LGBTQ+ populations and in sexual health. She prioritises providing flexible and creative interventions that are tailored to individual needs, respecting each person's lived experience and identity. Recently she has completed training in Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and has been integrating a trauma-focused approach within neurorehabilitation.
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