Welcome to our website

Your interest may have been triggered by attending a training session, purchasing my book on Mindfulness or perhaps hearing of our work via a friend or colleague. 

For those of you who don't know me I will take a few minutes to introduce you to myself and my work. 

Having studied Psychology and Economics at university, my fascination with the mind overcame my interest in figures. As a result I began working with children and young people in a residential setting and I learned more in the following two years about human behaviour than in my years of study. 

My work as a practitioner was originally informed by the theoretical perspectives of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth in their work on the Attachment System and the impact of loss, separation and negative parenting on child development.  My work with challenging (often angry and aggressive) young people was further informed by the developmental psychology of Erik Erikson and the work of Professor Alan Sroufe in his research into attachment disorders and aggression.  Similarly, my work in developing anger management programmes for young people was informed by cognitive psychology in general and by cognitive behaviour therapy in particular.

In recent years neuroscience and the work of neuro-biologists has not only greatly increased our understanding of brain development and of how the brain functions, but also our knowledge of the impact of early developmental trauma on cognitive and emotional development.  These new areas of study and the work of neuro-scientists such as Jeffrey Schwarz and Daniel Siegel have informed the development of my workshops on topics ranging from attachment theory and brain development, to how children learn and training on understanding and managing challenging behaviour.

Over the course of my work with children and young people I have developed a wide range of techniques and exercises designed to help young people to self-regulate their moods and emotions and to help them cope more effectively with the various negative experiences which have impacted on their lives.  These techniques have become a large part of the training and workshops I now offer in mindfulness based stress reduction and also in the use of mindfulness techniques in improving concentration and learning in the classroom.  They also underpin the consultancy service I offer to primary and secondary schools as well as residential units and fostering agencies.

Everyone of my workshops is informed by the above theoretical base but, more importantly, by all the years I have spent working directly with children and young people. I may have lost count of the number of young people I have worked with over the years but I will never lose sight of the fact that I learned something from everyone of them. 

I have worked as a freelance trainer and consultant for over 14 years across the UK.  I have also worked in the South of Ireland and in Russia.  My work as a training provider has been informed by over 20 years' direct experience of working with troubled children and young people across a range of settings in the fields of social work, mental health and probation.  I have also managed residential child care resources in Edinburgh and London.

Over the course of my career as practitioner, trainer and consultant I have had the privilege to meet and to work with some extremely skilled and dedicated professionals.  Because demand for the workshops and training I have been able to provide has grown, I am now delighted to say that several of these exceptional people have joined SG Training and Consultancy as associate tutors and together will will be taking forward the work described in the website.

Once again thank you for your interest and please explore the range of workshops listed.