Regional Support Group
ABOUT
EMDR WEST MIDLANDS
We are the West Midlands Regional EMDR Support Group, a regional member of the national association of EMDR UK and Ireland. Our mission is to provide affordable training, support and information to professionals who use EMDR in the West Midlands region.
Our workshops are intended to provide education on all matters relating to EMDR particularly recent research, to foster best professional practice and promote the work of the Association. We also encourage networking, developments of special interest groups, and updating of EMDR research.
MEET THE COMMITTEE
EMDR West Midlands is run by a team of dedicated volunteers, each experts in EMDR in their own right. Find out more about our committee members below.
ELIZABETH DOGGART
Committee Chair
Elizabeth is an Accredited EMDR Consultant. She is an experienced Supervisor and Trainer, and case manages a team of EMDR, CBT and Integrative Practitioners. Elizabeth has a special interest in treating populations who suffer with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
In addition to Chairing the West Midlands Regional EMDR Support Group she is
an Associate Director for Trauma Studies at the Centre for Stress Management in London.
Elizabeth has a keen interest in Supervision and in promoting the development of EMDR practitioners within the West Midlands. She is delighted to be part of a proactive committee that have succeeded in running many EMDR trainings and workshops over the years.
STEVE PRATT
Secretary and Treasurer
Steve is a Chartered Psychologist with 20 years experience in Primary Care Settings, Clinical Psychology Departments and Private Practice dealing with a range of mental health issues. He is an EMDR Adult and Child & Adolescent Consultant with 10 years’ experience of using EMDR therapy.
Steve is an integrative practitioner and can work effectively with people presenting with a wide range of psychological difficulties and mental health problems. He is particularly interested in working with children and adolescents. Steve's experience suggests that if trauma in childhood is recognized and treated at an early stage, the intensity and duration of negative symptoms would be reduced. Subsequently, years of turmoil and pain would be reduced.
MARK WALKER
Committee Member
Mark is an EMDR Europe Accredited Consultant and Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) practitioner, trainer and supervisor and have worked in the area of mental health for over 30 years.
Mark has gained a wide range of experience having worked as a team manager within the National Health Service and in private psychiatry as well as offering psychotherapy and counselling interventions to clients with chronic and enduring mental health problems.
He has a special interest in Clinical Supervision, developmental trauma and attachment and the integration of our therapeutic work with disciplines that make space for spirituality and the body.
PAM VIRDI
Committee Member
Pam Virdi is an EMDR Europe Approved Consultant, BACP accredited Integrative Psychotherapist, Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor who now works full time in private practice with adults, couples and young people aged 12 upwards. Pam specialises in the treatment of eating disorders but also has extensive experience of working successfully with a broad range of other clinical difficulties including complex trauma, PTSD and dissociative disorders.
She is co-editor for a book called Trauma-Informed Approaches to Eating Disorders which was published in August 2018 by Springer Publishers. This in important contribution, as the last book on the role of trauma in eating disorders was published over 20 years ago.
DIANNE MEE
Committee Member
Dianne qualified as a Person Centred Counsellor in 2001 and then went on to University of Central England (now BCU) where she achieved a Distinction in MSc Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy. Initially working in Private Practice specialising in working as a Service Provider to various EAPs and other organisations Dianne then obtained a NHS Training post as a High Intensity CBT Practitioner obtaining a Merit in PGDip CBT. She subsequently worked for the IAPT Dudley and Walsall Mental Health NHS Trust for over 8 years before going into full time Private Practice in April 2017.
Dianne completed her basic training in EMDR 9 years ago and became an accredited practitioner in July 2016. She specialises in treatment of Trauma; Depressive Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Work Related Stress issues.
Dianne joined the Committee in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic began to impact. In order to continue the provision of CPD Events Dianne introduced online Workshops using Zoom. She has also been instrumental in transforming this website.
MARYANN RICHARD
Committee Member
Maryann is an EMDR Europe Approved Consultant and Integrative therapist with 30 years experience working with adults, children and adolescents. She has worked in the NHS in a GP based Counselling Service and in Hospice work and now work privately seeing a wide variety of clients who come with trauma, relationship, health, and mental health issues.
Maryann worked for 9 years in South Asia raising a family, teaching nurses and community workers counselling skills for people with leprosy and spinal injuries and helped Humanitarian Aid workers and their children cope with the stresses and strains of living abroad in the developing world where there are fewer health resources.
A special interest of Maryann's is working with people who have grown up cross-culturally and/or lived or worked cross-culturally. Whilst most people feel very privileged to have lived abroad, there are particular issues that arise in these situations when people integrate into their new country such as: loneliness, isolation, bullying & coping with the traumas they may have seen or experienced whilst abroad. All of these and others can greatly inhibit and upset their lives and relationships.
Maryann is an experienced Clinical Supervisor and Supervise EMDR trainees, practitioners and Consultants. She particularly enjoys supervising CAMHS groups and is very excited as she sees the next generation of EMDR therapists develop personally and professionally.
DAVID PIKE
Committee Member
David qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 1972 at Birmingham University. In David's professional career he started in Adult Mental Health, but he has also worked in many other settings outside Psychology. After running an Out-patient Project in Heartlands Hospital in 1989 David worked in the Pain Clinic at Selly Oak Hospital for many years. Since then David has worked in other Pain Clinics, in a Burns Unit and set up a Head Injury unit before entering private practice to do Medico-legal Personal Injury assessments.
David trained with Derek Farrell when he set up his first EMDR Masters programme at Birmingham University, being accredited as an EMDR practitioner in 2012. His specialities are Complex-PTSD, Chronic Pain and Medically Unexplained Symptoms. He is, however, withdrawing from active therapy work to concentrate on supervision, training and research. David's role on the committee is to facilitate audio-visual resources on live events.
Committee Member
CAROLINE VAN DIEST
Caroline van Diest is as a therapist supporting older children and adults with a range of psychological needs. Her core profession was originally Learning Disability Nursing and she then moved into general psychological therapy services following a desire to support development and change for people promoting their independence and facilitating their potential.
As a therapist Caroline is able to offer a range of skills and models of working to help people with their mental health needs. Predominantly, she works with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and some 3rd wave CBT therapies (ACT, CFT and motivational interviewing). Caroline has an interest in Internal Family systems, transactional analysis and solution focused therapy.