About Me

Laurie is a registered mental health nurse and accredited cognitive behavioural therapist. He also has specialist qualifications in child and adolescent mental health, EMDR, and NLP. Laurie is the author of the book Cool Connections With CBT (Published by Jessica Kingsley) and has a wide range of experience supporting both adults and young people. Before qualifying as a nurse in 1997, he gained a wide range of experience working for with both adults and children in a number of different residential, hospitals, and school settings.. Laurie initially started his nursing carer working with adults within the NHS in acute, secure, and community mental health settings.  Laurie was also employed for a number of years by child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) before starting his own independent CBT company.
 
Over the past 15 years Laurie has provided CBT to a large number of children, families, and adult clients. This has involved both individual help and running group programmes within local schools. His work is research based and meets the governments N.I.C.E. Guidelines including Every Child Matters criteria and group programmes which link in with the National Curriculum.
 
He is fully accredited and receives regular clinical supervision for both his CBT and EMDR practice as meets the BABCP and N.I.C.E guidelines. Laurie also has additional qualifications in safe guarding, he is CRB checked and fully insured.

• Diploma Mental Heath Nursing  (Brunel University – Buckinghamshire)
• Diploma in Counselling Skills   (Glasgow University – Institute of Counselling)
• BSc (Hons) Specialist Nursing Practise (including ENB A12 CBT)  (APU – Chelmsford)
• BA (Hons) Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies   (Homerton – Cambridge)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy  (UEA – Norwich)
• Licensed Master Practitioner in NLP (The Society of Neuro Linguistic programming)
• EMDR Training (Accredited Therapist)  (EMDR Europe London)
• EMDR Therapist Child Training Parts 1 & 2

• BABCP: Accredited
• NMC  (Nursing & Midwifery Council)
• RCN  (Royal College of Nursing)
• EMDR (Professional Association of EMDR, UK)
• National Society for NLP 
• Fully CRB Checked
• Insurance Company Name: Towergate SMG Professional Risks.
  

Over the past few years Laurie has been actively involved in early intervention work with many of the children within our middle school. Most of his work involves using CBT. While using this approach he has worked successfully with a large number of individuals. He has also run groups which have helped children with emotional issues. Feedback to date has been very positive and individual children report the groups to be both fun and help them feel better about themselves. I have personally seen a change for the better in many of the children who have been involved in this work. Many other teachers and parents have also commented on the benefits to the children in our school. Laurie has given several talks to the children in class and during school assemblies. Topics have included information about difficult issues such as bullying, the group programmes his service offers, and other emotional issues such as facing fears, anger and loss. Liaison with Laurie has helped our school find alternative ways of coping with children’s needs and in supporting parents. 

Assistant Head Teacher

We commissioned Laurie to offer CBT to parents experiencing mental health issues. These  problems varied from post-natal depression to anxiety, and low self-esteem. Laurie has facilitated groups and has also offered individual one-to-one sessions.  I have received excellent feedback from participants and we have observed very positive changes in them. We would definitely recommend his services.

Dr J. Aubrey

We are currently studying on a Post Graduate Diploma Course in CBT. Through the Child & Family CBT Service Laurie has been supervising us. His help and support have been invaluable. It is great because not only is the supervision of a high quality but there are also very few supervisors who work with children and families in our locality.

Social Worker and School Nurse

Laurie has been involved in helping the young people at our school over a number of years. He is always reliable, professional and has a good sense of fun. His work within the school has made a difference with a large number of our pupils and feedback has been good from parents also. I believe that he generally uses a cognitive behavioural approach in his work and has recently developed his own group programme which has been running successfully in our school. I believe that this programme has been made into a book and is soon to be published. I would highly recommend this service.

Assistant Head Teacher

I have recently been involved in a Parenting Group run by the Child & Family CBT Services at my daughter’s school. I feel that I am a competent parent but am now armed with some good techniques which will be useful and it has given me a lot of confidence  as a parent. It has been a great course. So useful. Everyone should do this course it opens your eyes. I feel calmer as a result of the programme. I have noticed that my children have become more responsible for themselves and this has also made life a lot easier at home.  “I can’t believe how much my life has changed since doing the group. I am so much calmer. I’ve got strategies to cope with things now.  

(Bev - mother of 3).

My son was having trouble with anger since our recent divorce. He was also having panic attacks at school. It seemed really difficult to find any help until I found the Child & Family CBT Service. There are very few services out there for young people. He is so much better now and has gone on to do well with his GCSE’s.

Jonathan – father of 2

The group has just given my daughter (aged 9) so much confidence. I can’t believe the change in her. I think it has helped her to see that other children have worries too. I was a bit nervous but when I see her come out of the group with a beaming smile it Makes me feel good too. I would definitely recommend the group to others it’s made all the difference. She gets on better with her sister at home now as well. 

Tina – mother of 2 girls

Laurie had a really nice rapport with my daughter who is only 5. She had been bitten by a dog and developed a nasty phobia. At first I thought she would be too young to get help. It was amazing she only had two sessions of CBT and now she is over it. I know children can sometimes get over problems more quickly than adults but I have been truly amazed. I think that I am more wary round dogs than she is now”. 

Sophie – single parent

It’s helped loads because I get less stressed and find I’ve got more friends and get on better in school now. I used to get in trouble all the time and was always angry and upset. Now I know it’s OK to talk about my feelings and I feel lighter for getting stuff off my chest.   

Bailey aged 11

It helped me a lot to talk about stuff. I did not think talking about my worries would end up being good fun. Now I like coming. Mum seems to like it too. 

Rachel aged 9

I am now 18 but received a lot of help from Laurie when I was about 12 years old. I had help both in a group and on my own. I was not sure what was going on then but looking back it was all so useful. At the time I did not realise how lucky I was to get this support. I am now at college and doing well but at the time I was quite off the rails. I’m still no saint now but a few years back I was always in trouble at school for fighting and breaking stuff. My Dad died and I was having trouble at home too. I really think the support I was given back then saved me. I learned a lot of skills and knowing that someone really cared made such a difference to me. Some of the things I learned I still think about today.

Ben aged 18

The group has been great it has helped us think about things in a different way. We think everyone in our school should do it. The stories are good and quite funny and we liked the games too. We feel different and better now.

Ania & Lucy aged 11

When I first approached the CBT Service for help I was really struggling. My OCD was really bad. I had had lots of other help in the past but nothing was as effective as this. I like the fact that you get some feedback when you talk about stuff and a lot seems to be based on common sense. With other types of counselling I did not really feel I was getting any more than just a listening ear. I’m mostly over it now and doing really well. Sometimes when I’m low or stressed the ‘stinking thinking’ creeps back in but now I have the strategies to cope”. 

Brian 26