Dr Kat Gardner

It is a normal part of being human to experience emotional distress.  This distress can take many forms including feeling low in mood, anxious or stuck and unsure which way to turn.  I am skilled at working with children, young people and adults, at helping them make sense of the difficulties and distress that they are feeling and to make positive changes that improve their quality of life.

I have a special interest in working with people who have been affected by a life-changing event, accident or chronic health condition.  I appreciate that all too easily life can come to revolve around the condition or experience, and the person’s sense of self or ability to enjoy life can be stripped away.  I am passionate about the role that therapy can have to support someone in stepping back into their lives and reconnecting with what is important to them, even in difficult circumstances.

Since qualifying as a Clinical Psychologist nearly 10 years ago I have worked within child and adolescent mental and physical health services within the NHS. During this time I worked regularly with children, young people and with parents.  I have also worked for the Exeter University Clinical Psychology Doctorate that trains Clinical Psychologists.  As part of Green Shoots Psychology since 2014 I have worked across the age range and am based in Brighton.

I have a proven history of delivering high quality, informative and enjoyable training and teaching on psychological matters to people from a range of backgrounds.  I also enjoy offering supervision to colleagues and have attended the supervisors training run by the University of Surrey Clinical Psychology Doctorate.

Dr Anita Marsden

I have a special interest in raising awareness of well being, positive psychology, helping people to enjoy life more and changing the current stigma of having a “mental health problem”. I believe that to do this we need to be more open about our difficulties, ask for help and ultimately move to a more preventative way of working, turning the current illness model on its head, supporting every individual within our community to understand and develop their strengths. I love to facilitate workshops, introducing people to CBT, mindfulness, and other psychological techniques. I also have a special interest in global mental health and have taught internationally, volunteering for a charity in Sri Lanka.

I have conducted research into autism as well as researching how our beliefs can impact our parenting. I have worked within the NHS using systemic techniques (Family Partnership Model) to work alongside parents who are experiencing difficulties with their child’s behaviour. I love to support people to work through difficulties within their families and to get the most out of their relationships. I am currently working part time in the NHS assessing children with disorders affecting their development, learning or communication including; Autism, ADHD, Epilepsy and Cerebral Palsy. I have experience of working at Great Ormond Street Hospital in specialist Neurodelopmental Services with complex and specialist cases. I think assessing an individual’s neuropsychological profile, finding out about their cognitive strengths and weaknesses can help give further understanding about them and help adapt the teaching environment or even the direction of their career path to maximise their strengths.

I really enjoy offering supervision to colleagues, helping to bring a new perspective to client work and have attended a BPS accredited supervisors training to support the development of my skills within this area.