Sarah Davis
Worthing
Summary
Integrative child and adolescent psychotherapist and adult counsellor with extensive experience in private practice, voluntary sector, and digital mental health services. Expertise in supporting individuals facing emotional distress, complex mental health issues, and crisis situations, with a strong focus on safeguarding, risk assessment, and suicide prevention. Proven clinical leader with a track record of managing psychotherapy training departments and overseeing high-risk cases to ensure best practices in safeguarding and clinical governance. Experienced in making autonomous clinical decisions and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to achieve safe outcomes for clients.
Overview
11
11
years of post-secondary education
27
27
years of professional experience
Work history
Counsellor and Digital support practitioner on Family Line
Family Action
2020.03 - 2026.07
- Offering emotional/counselling and signposting support to adults on all family matters.
- Providing crisis intervention and emotional support via digital platforms, supporting individuals experiencing acute distress, suicidal ideation, domestic abuse, family conflict and complex mental health challenges.
- Managing safeguarding cases autonomously, developing collaborative safety plans, escalating concerns where appropriate, and liaising with emergency services and statutory agencies to protect vulnerable individuals.
- Delivering trauma-informed, person-centred support through online chat, messaging and on the phone, building trust quickly, de-escalating crisis situations and empowering service users to access appropriate ongoing support.
- Maintaining accurate, confidential case records while exercising sound clinical judgement, working collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues to ensure safe, effective and ethical management of cases.
- Remote digital position
Psychotherapist
Sarahdaviscounselling.com
London, Brockley
2021.02 - 2023.02
- Managing my own private counselling business working with young people, adults.
- Attending regular clinical supervision.
- Keeping up to date with relevant CPD.
- Managing safeguarding issues and referring to relevant support statutory organisations as necessary.
- P/T
Supervisor on Listening Works
Family Action
2020.03 - 2022.03
- Supporting the launch of a new pilot service for care-leavers to respond to their social isolation during Covid.
- Supervising and supporting volunteers responding to care-leavers via web chat, phone and text 6-12pm nightly.
- Developing an additional care-leaver service to support care-leavers in Higher Education.
- Promoting the Listening Works service to external organisations.
- Devising and delivering training materials to volunteers.
- Dealing with safeguarding and crisis situations calmly and effectively.
- Remote digital position
Clinical Lead
Terapia
London, Finchley
2019.04 - 2020.02
- Responsibility for both the day to day running and the strategic direction of the Clinical Services Department of the organisation.
- Managing referrals from young people, adults and parents looking for therapeutic support from student or qualified therapists.
- Assessment of all families looking for therapeutic support, including formulation of a plan and match with either a student or qualified therapist.
- Supervision of the students working in the Department and overseeing their cases.
- Managing the Schools Engagement Officer - responsible for placing Terapia students in schools to deliver counselling.
- Holding a caseload of clients seen for weekly 50-minute therapy sessions.
- Safeguarding Lead for the organisation recording ‘causes for concern’ and liaising with all relevant bodies to safeguard clients.
- Co-facilitating group workshops at the organisation.
Young Person’s Lead/Counsellor on WellFamily Plus
Family Action
London, Hackney
2018.01 - 2019.01
- Delivering counselling to 16–25-year-olds with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
- Undertaking holistic assessments with clients and and co-designing health and well-being plans identifying their support needs.
- Representing the service in strategic partnerships with the local CAMHS Alliance.
- Providing specialist training (e.g. self-harm/suicide) and consultation WellFamily Plus team members in working with young people and developing their capacity and skills in this area.
- Setting up and maintaining comprehensive data and evaluation systems including health outcome tools such as PHQ-9, GAD 7, Young Person’s Core.
- Liaising with Social Services, CAMHS, CHAMRAS, hospitals and GP’s, plus other voluntary organisations, in order to alert them to significant safeguarding issues.
- Participating in clinical supervision in order to ensure best practice.
- One year pilot project
Senior Perinatal Family Worker for 1001 Days and Lambeth Perinatal Service
Family Action
Greenwich and Lambeth, London
2016.03 - 2018.01
- Supporting women - in the perinatal period - suffering from low to moderate mental health problems through tailored 1:1 therapeutic work, matching with volunteers for weekly support and referral to other local relevant services.
- Devising and running therapeutic groups for mothers with mental health challenges.
- Undertaking holistic assessments and co-designing plans with individual service users, identifying support needs.
- Undertaking all aspects of the volunteer process including recruiting, interviewing, training and supervising.
- Participating in meetings with other organisations such as Social Services including attending and leading on TAC meetings and attending CP conferences, where necessary.
Counsellor on Talking Point
Family Action
Greenwich, London
2017.01 - 2017.03
- Delivering counselling / psychotherapy to young people aged 13-25 from Universal to Tier 2.
- Attending therapeutic training such as Theralplay stage 1 in order to enhance clinical practice.
- Completing outcome tools such as Young Person’s Core and RCADS in order to measure clinical efficacy against key performance indicators.
Senior Editor/Writer in children’s non-fiction
Dorling Kindersley
London/Brighton
2007.01 - 2015.01
Senior Editor/Writer in children’s magazines
BBC Worldwide
2005.01 - 2007.01
Magazine editor and foster panel administrator
Families for Children (fostering agency)
2003.01 - 2005.01
Runner/Researcher in TV
Channel X Television
2000.01 - 2003.01
Education
M.A. - Integrative Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy
Middlesex University
2006.01 - 2013.01
Art Psychotherapy Foundation - undefined
Goldsmith’s University
2004.01 - 2005.01
BA Hons - Journalism
Leeds University
1996.01 - 1999.01
3 A-levels and 10 GCSE’s - undefined
References
Available on request
Timeline
Psychotherapist
Sarahdaviscounselling.com
2021.02 - 2023.02
Counsellor and Digital support practitioner on Family Line
Family Action
2020.03 - 2026.07
Supervisor on Listening Works
Family Action
2020.03 - 2022.03
Clinical Lead
Terapia
2019.04 - 2020.02
Young Person’s Lead/Counsellor on WellFamily Plus
Family Action
2018.01 - 2019.01
Counsellor on Talking Point
Family Action
2017.01 - 2017.03
Senior Perinatal Family Worker for 1001 Days and Lambeth Perinatal Service
Family Action
2016.03 - 2018.01
Senior Editor/Writer in children’s non-fiction
Dorling Kindersley
2007.01 - 2015.01
M.A. - Integrative Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy
Middlesex University
2006.01 - 2013.01
Senior Editor/Writer in children’s magazines
BBC Worldwide
2005.01 - 2007.01
Art Psychotherapy Foundation - undefined
Goldsmith’s University
2004.01 - 2005.01
Magazine editor and foster panel administrator
Families for Children (fostering agency)
2003.01 - 2005.01
Runner/Researcher in TV
Channel X Television
2000.01 - 2003.01
BA Hons - Journalism
Leeds University
1996.01 - 1999.01