Anji Wilks

I offer sessions full time across the week. In some circumstances I can offer sessions during the early evening or morning. It's more important that people can access good-quality therapeutic support that works for them, rather than missing out due to working hours. Please contact me for discussion.

I'm a dual-qualified Social Worker and Psychodynamic Psychotherapist who has over two decades of experience supporting families. I'm passionate about ensuring anyone can access therapy that works for them; sessions go at the individual's pace and I work in a supportive, caring manner.

I have lots of experience of supporting parents to work through the challenges they face when caring for children and young people who are anxious, unable to regulate their emotions, unable to speak about their feelings and refusing to attend school. It's important to me that I provide a caring, non-judgemental space for parents to explore just how difficult raising children can be. 

Likewise, its important that I use my play therapy and empathic skills to support children and young people to link their behaviours with their thinking and feelings. By working alongside children, with compassion and understanding, I find it is an effective space for them to think about challenges and become resilient. 

I have a Masters degree in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy; this is a form of therapy the considers how experiences in our early years form defences and strategies to manage our emotions. Sometimes we form inner thinking that we believe is fact which leads us to behave, with others, in ways that are defensive. 

We might wish to relate with others in a more meaningful, honest manner and therapy helps us to think about how and why we are defensive. 

I have many years of being in this type of therapy to help me understand how this feels so that I can be as empathic and compassionate with my clients, as possible. It's important to me that I use the theory to inform my practice with both adults and children.  

I train and provide clinical supervision to groups of professionals in their work with children in care who are often highly traumatised and defended against relationships. I use PACEFULNESS approaches based on Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. By exploring our own attachment and relationship styles we can then bravely explore why children in care will often find it too difficult to form healthy relationships. This is an area that I have long been interested in have worked with charities, Local Authorities and businesses involved in fostering and children's homes. 

It's important that during this first session you bring up anything that you've been thinking about - the areas of life that you might find a bit tricky and how you would like to be supportive. 

I recognise that it's not always easy to know this about ourselves so during the first session I'll ask about family, your history and start to paint a picture of what life might be like for you. I do so gently, kindly and at your pace. 

I will try to reassure you so that we work together, in partnership. I won't bring things into the session unless we agree that it is something you would like to work on and think about. 

First sessions with children and young people are play-based and I work on making sure they feel comfortable and can play.