Alice has an MA in Integrative Child Psychotherapy from the Institute for Arts in Therapy & Education (IATE) where she studied among others, with Dan Hughes (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy) and Éadaoin Bhreathnach (Sensory Attachment Intervention) including a two-year infant observation paper as part of her training. She has a PGDIP in the Therapeutic and Educational Application of the Arts and a PGCert in Child Counselling Using the Arts.

Alice undertook her psychiatric placement at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Mildred Creek Unit for young people with serious somatic and eating disorders using the principles of ‘Therapeutic Milieu.

She has additional training specialising in the many aspects of fostering and adoption support required for both children and their parents/carers including Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) a unique form of attachment-focused therapy based on the principles of PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy), pioneered by Daniel Hughes. She has additional introductory Theraplay® training with Phyllis Booth as well as Level 1 Theraplay® and Group Theraplay training, HANDLE therapy (Holistic Approach to Neuro-Development and Learning Efficiency) and holds a certificate in Therapeutic Life Story Work from Family Futures). She has completed a Sensory Attachment Intervention training with Éadaoin Bhreathnach, enabling her to use the principles in her practice.

Alice is a trained coach, a qualified trainer member of the Global Training Community of NLP (Principles of Brief Therapy and Positive Psychologies), a qualified hypnotherapist and member of the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR). She is also a Therapeutic Attachment Lead Specialist having completed training with Louise Michelle Bombèr.

Alice specialises in working with children and young people with developmental and relational trauma, as well as grief and loss, working from an integrative model, based on attachment theory, current neuroscience and Bruce Perry’s NMT (Neurosequential model of Therapeutics) which offers crucial insights into how we can create neurodevelopmentally-informed and relationally-rich therapeutic interventions and educational activities for children, young people and adults who have been impacted by adverse developmental experiences, trauma and neglect. She uses the arts and play as a therapeutic medium helping children and young people to symbolically express their feelings and where necessary to create a coherent trauma narrative.

For TouchBase CIC, Alice focuses on supporting parents and carers. She facilitates their understanding of the impact of trauma, loss and disrupted attachments on the children they care for as well as giving vital help and support in dealing with the effects of imported trauma and loss, from these children to their parents.

Alice developed and runs the ‘Flying Free’ course here at TouchBase CIC, specifically designed to support the parents and carers of troubled adolescents. Alice’s is an adoptive parent and was previously a trained Adoption UK ‘Buddy’, which gives her insight and a passion to make a difference for those who parent and care for children with developmental trauma.