Melissa Whitelaw

• Provide Clinical Leadership for 30 individuals in Crawley Team, consisting of Psychotherapists, Psychological Well- being Practitioners, Counsellors, Trainees and Admin staff. Regularly undertake Senior Therapist on call for whole North locality of approximately 30 clinicians and allied staff.
• Chair various meetings, operationally and clinically including Team Meeting, Suitability meetings. external meeting with multidisciplinary team.
• Conduct therapeutic assessments. Offer individual evidence based therapy for a range of mental health disorders including Anxiety and depression, particular specialisation in working with trauma and PTSD.
• Developed Training programme for trainee CBT Therapists and support and supervise trainees.
• Mentor and supervise junior therapists in evidence-based practices and development, including time/diary management and clinical skills etc.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care and support for patients.
• Work with Refugee and Asylum seeker population, working closely with interpreters and other organisations. Providing evidence based trauma therapy such as CBT, EMDR and Narrative Exposure Therapy.

• Provided Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) assessments and treatment for a range of common mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety, obsessive Compulsive Disorder, phobias and Trauma one-to-one for adults.
• Facilitated Psychological Groups for depression, anxiety, low self esteem and childhood sexual abuse.
• Carried out Duty supervision two days per week taking calls from patients with risk issues and complex presentations as well as queries from CBT therapists and Counsellors regarding risk issues and offering advice and support.
• Offered clinical supervision to accredited and honorary counsellors and assisting them through accreditation processes.
• Delivered reflective supervision for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP's) and administration staff for support with their clinical work and the personal impact of this.
• Delivered training to PWP's and administration staff on many subjects including, Group Dynamic, managing difficult phone calls.
• Attended regular supervision and carried out tasks in timely and professional manner often taking on management duties such as managing waiting list and therapists data.
• Work within ethical standards of the BABCP and BACP.

Undertook Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy within the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust working three days per week seeing patients and attended Canterbury and Christchurch University 2 days per week. Training received in a range of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy protocols for depression, Social Anxiety and Health Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as specific phobias.

• Psychotherapeutic Integrative Counsellor offering a range of counselling interventions for Adults within a diverse and multicultural setting with common mental health problems such as depression, loss, trauma, attachment and adjustment problems.
• Offered Counselling supervision to many individuals and groups
• Offered reflective counselling to psychological Wellbeing Practitioners
• Facilitated groups for anxiety and depression as well as devising and delivering the first group within the trust for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
• Carried out audits and waiting list duties as well as offering duty supervision to other therapists and screening complex GP referrals
• Facilitated training for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and Administration staff on subjects such as 'setting boundaries'. 'Group dynamic'. 'Saying no'.
• Contributed to recruitment process of new and hoary counsellors assisting the lead Counsellor with interviewing and selection processes.

• Provided Psychological support to Burns victims and their families on the wards and throughout their stay in hospital.
• Offered Counselling to patient who had undergone plastic surgery and Burns treatment in outpatients including addressing body image problems and trauma and PTSD.
• Support staff within the Burns Unit and throughout the hospital as a team of two Psychological professionals within the Trust at the time. This included providing de-briefing sessions to the multidisciplinary team after distressing incidents.
• Providing psycho-education to staff on subjects such as body image and trauma responses post injury.
• Chair of the Special interest group for the nations burns association and presented research at several British Burns Association conferences.
• Part of a working party setting out the first National Burns Care psychological Standards.
• Supporting staff with wellbeing and potential psychological impact of caring for this group of patients.

Provided general nursing care for Burns patients including working in Intensive care, Operating Theatres and Outpatient clinic.