When physical symptoms are affecting school and family life

For children and teenagers whose physical symptoms are affecting school, confidence, independence, mood or family life.

I work with young people living with chronic illness, chronic pain, fatigue, CFS/ME, Long Covid, FND, EDS, PoTS, functional symptoms, medically unexplained symptoms, and complex persistent physical symptoms that are still being investigated.

I start from the position that symptoms are real, whether or not medicine has found a clear explanation. Therapy is not about telling a child that symptoms are “all psychological”. It is a space to understand how body, mind, stress, illness, medical experiences, school and family life may be affecting each other.

My work helps young people feel less alone, rebuild confidence, and develop a life that is not organised only around symptoms, illness or fear. This may include thinking about school attendance, friendships, independence, identity, anxiety, medical trauma, and the emotional impact of uncertainty.

I worked for five years in TRACCS, a paediatric service at UCLH, supporting young people and families facing complex physical health conditions and persistent symptoms. I also wrote my doctoral research on interprofessional collaboration in NHS paediatric settings.

Where helpful, I can liaise with schools, GPs, paediatricians, clinical nurse specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other professionals involved in your child’s care.