Trainers

Since Juliet does not have time to run all courses herself, and is getting requests for more of these to be run, she has trained a small team up to run these workshops. Here is info about the trainers.

Trainers

 

Bernd Leygraf

In 2023 Bernd was given the Liz McElligot Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy and for the support and guidance he has provided to the field.  He is a Consultant Psychotherapist who works with trainees, from over 40 countries. He is familiar with and interested in working with issues of cultural difference.  He co-authored with Judi Keshet-Orr the first MSc in Humanistic Psychotherapy and the first Masters programme in Psychosexual & Relationship Therapy in the UK. He also authored or co-authored, as well as led, several masters programmes in the UK, primarily at South Bank University, Middlesex University, Westminster and the University of Surrey. He was a former Chair of the Professional Standards and Accreditation Board at the European Association for Counselling, and Ethics Committee of COSRT.  His principal influences in sexological and couples work are David Schnarch, Joseph Zinker, Ellen Bader, Judith Hemming, Joan Lachkar, Judi Keshet-Orr and, as ever, his clients

Claire Spiller (UKCP reg.) EAGT Accredited, IAAGT, ECP

Claire is a Trainer; Writer; UKCP registered and accredited Gestalt psychotherapist, and Clinical Supervisor approved by the Metanoia Institute, London, where she is a final-year PhD student. Claire has been working clinically online since 2016 and recently presented her doctoral research into online psychotherapy at the UKCP International Research Conference.

She is the current secretary of the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy and a graduate of the Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy program at the Centre for Somatic Studies, New York City. Claire has extensive clinical experience in Trauma-informed psychotherapy, working with embodied trauma, through both in-person and remote therapy. She has a background of delivering training across the third and public sectors, supporting therapists in-person and online in working with trauma, through exploring being and embodiment.

She published an article entitled “A Year of the Pandemic: Existential themes for
psychotherapists” in Existential Analysis, 2021, Vol. 32., No. 2, and is currently developing further writing.

Claire has a private practice in South Wales, UK, working remotely and in person.

Claire Williamson 

Claire brings an integrative approach to using creative writing in the therapeutic encounter. She’s the former Director of Studies for Metanoia Institute’s MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (CWTP), with over 20 years experience in the field of CWTP, including work in bereavement, mental health, addiction recovery, self-injury, cancer care, plus many educational and artistic settings.

She’s a Senior Fellow of the higher education academy, with a Masters degree in Literary Studies (exploring the life sustaining effects of writing) and studying at Cardiff University for a PhD in Creative Writing (Writing the 21st century grief novel), with a Counselling Skills qualification (UWE). She is also a Royal Literary Fellow at UWE (2022-2024)

Diane Hassall

Di is an experienced Integrative Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor who specialises in Relationship and Psychosexual Therapy.  Much of her work is with people exploring gender, sexual or relationship diversity (GSRD).  Her clients bring issues around commitment, sexual identity, gender identity and/or transition, BDSM and kink, polyamory, non-monogamy and other types of relationships. She also works with people in trans-cultural, trans-racial relationships and/or those from differing religions.  

Di’s previous career was in HR, learning and development, communications and change management. People and relationships have always been her passion, so it was no surprise to those who know her when she became a psychotherapist!  

She is an Accredited Member of  NCIP

Ellis J. Johnson MBACP

Ellis J. Johnson MBACP (he/him/his) is a psychodynamic psychotherapeutic counsellor, trainer and consultant mainly working alongside transgender, non-binary, queer and questioning people in private practice. He is an Advanced Accredited Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity Therapist and a Clinical Associate at Pink Therapy. Ellis is particularly interested in attending to the intersections of race, class and coloniality in understanding diverse experiences, and alongside training for therapists in working affirmatively around gender, he delivers training in anti-racist practice to organisations around the UK and Internationally.

Lee Stagles

Is an embodiment coach (graduate of the Embodied Facilitator Course 2017), men’s work leader and facilitator.  He has 20 years of experience in engineering as a technician, manager and business owner. He is interested in behavioural patterns and simple systems design, engaging with the body through an Awareness, Acceptance & Intention paradigm. He brings his expertise in ritual, grief, relationships, parenting and separated parenting. Now, using story, nature and movement, he supports his clients to a better understanding of themselves, helping to equip them with the tools and practises to achieve their goals.  He also works with organisations (private and public sector) in the field of Men’s Work. His mission is ‘to leave the place better than I find it.’

Michael Harvey 

Michael has been a professional storyteller for over twenty-five years. He has worked internationally, teaching and performing on every continent. Michael helps people reconnect with with the depth and creativity of myth and other traditional narratives in order to create new stories and tell them convincingly and authentically. We’ll do this by getting into the specifics of how traditional narrative form and symbols actually work.     To his surprise, he has found that the cohort experience online is even stronger than in conventional courses and that the continuation is more sustained once the teaching sessions are over.  He has performed at leading festivals world wide.

As well as performing traditional stories to audiences large, small and online Michael has developed methods to create resonant and meaningful stories with groups in schools, businesses, organisations including the NHS, and members of the general public.

Murray Blacket

Murray is a fully trained and accredited Psychosexual Therapist (COSRT) as well as being a Psychotherapist (UKCP) who has worked across many therapeutic areas, including the NHS, some of London’s leading couple’s therapy practices as well as running his own private practice.

Murray is an expert and contributing member of MojoMen – the men’s sexual heath website and regularly contributes expert opinion to the Observer, Independent, Cosmopolitan and Huffington Post – to name a few. He also teaches courses for trainee therapists at Diploma level. At present, Murray is writing up his PhD on male sexual desire. A book about men
and sex and masculine identities is on the way, too.
In 2019, Murray was named as one of London’s top sex therapists by the Evening Standard.

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Nicola Jones

Nicola has worked with couples since 2006. She is Relate registered, accredited by the National Counselling Society and a member and Vice Chair of the International Attachment Network. She has a private practice in Portishead and Bristol where she works with individuals, couples and families. Nicola has an MA in Gender Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (2008), has trained in family systems therapy with the Institute of Family Therapy, trained at The Bowlby Centre for 2 years. Nicola has considerable experience of, and her clinical work is significantly informed by attachment theory with its links with neuroscience, infant development and developmental psychology.  

Serge Nicholson

Serge Nicholson is a C.O.S.R.T accredited Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist with a passion for his work alongside GSRD  clients. Serge embarked upon his therapist career change training with the London Diploma in Psychosexual & Relationship Therapy, with a long-term  placement (from pre-diploma to full accreditation) within a Central London NHS sexual health service setting, including his work in helping to build a pioneering gender diverse affirming Psychosexual service. Serge has a therapy practice, based in London and the South Coast, delivering individual and partnership therapy. Serge has also been developing an innovative model of queer kitchen table therapeutic group work in Trans and Non Binary and LGBTIQ + community settings.  In addition Serge is also a GSRD guest lecturer, and co-founder of www.hotpencilpress.co.uk ‘Letter To My Little Queer Self’, 2021 latest title.

Simon Roe

Simon Roe originally trained as a body psychotherapist with Nick Totton & Em Edmondson and has nearly 30 years’ experience of working with individuals and groups. For the last 25 years’ he has worked almost exclusively with men & teenage boys in a variety of settings including 1-1 psychotherapy, domestic violence work and Rites of Passage events. He is a Respect approved trainer & supervisor for domestic violence practitioners and is the director of Two Wolves Consultancy and Training. Simon has recently completed a foundation course in Process Oriented Psychology – an approach which increasingly informs his practice. Simon is a fully accredited member of the Association of Facilitators.

Sue Parker Hall

Sue is a Certified Transactional Analyst (UKCP registered) and a MBACP (Snr. Accredited) therapist, with over 20 years’ experience. She has lectured on higher education diploma and degree courses (validated by University of Plymouth).
She is the author of “Anger, Rage and Relationship: An Empathic Approach to Anger Management” published by Routledge.
The book was written with clients and mental health professionals in mind and was the culmination of years of practice and study into the differences between anger and rage and how to work with them.
She has spoken at international conferences.  See her workshops (on this website) Working with Anger Rage and Relationships.  She is a supervisor of practitioners (individual and groups) helping a diverse client population.

Tiga Rose Nercessian

Tiga-Rose Nercessian (she/her) is a COSRT accredited psychosexual and relationship therapist, multi-certified intimacy coach, trainer, and academic researcher, who has been working in the field since 2015. Tiga-Rose works in private practice predominantly with erotically marginalised adults, including those who are neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, kinky, queer, and non-monogamous. Her aim is help people have happier, healthier, and more fulfilling relationships with themselves and others – whatever that relationship looks like for them. 

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William Ayot

William Ayot is a poet, playwright, workshop leader and speaker, He runs courses for therapists including: Poetry Healing and Emotion; Working with Symbols and Ritual: An Experiential Workshop for Therapists. He has over 25 years business experience, which, combined with his proven creativity, brings a powerful presence to any course he runs. He has a particular interest in the conversation between organisations and the arts, and a commitment to bringing soul and imagination to the workplace. As a founding director and later chairman of Olivier Mythodrama, William led ground-breaking leadership workshops and seminars, delivering at the most senior levels. His client list is a Who’s Who of world class organisations. William has worked at many of the world’s top business schools and is Poet in Residence at Oxford Said Business school.   He offers Maximum Impact: Communication Masterclass and his powerful and incisive Maximum Impact Coaching. Writing includes the play Bengal Lancer, three poetry collections:  Small Things that Matter,  The Inheritance, and the prize winning (The People’s Book Prize special achievement award)  E-Mail for the Soul: New and Selected Leadership Poems. His latest book is a prose book: Re-enchanting the Forest: Meaningful Ritual in a secular world. William is a spokesperson for NACoA, the National Association for the Children of Alcoholics and a Patron of the Swan Project, Bristol.

Zofia Zyborska

Zofia Zyborska is a qualified and Senior accredited Sex and Relationship Therapist (COSRT), with 25 years’ experience, also a Sex Addiction Therapist.  She has worked with couples and individuals since 1997, using an integrative approach.  She has also worked in schools for many years as a Sexual Educator, running various programmes promoting positive sexual health, including condom use, contraception, consent, porn, and pleasure.  She teaches fifth year medical students at Edinburgh University, on human sexuality and sexual problems and also taught on the Sex and Relationship Diploma course at Relationship Scotland.  Qualifications:  MSc Nursing and Health Studies, Dip Counselling, Dip Psychosexual Therapy, Dip Sex Addiction

Consultants

 

Dr. Bishurul Hafi – Eastern Consultant

Dr. Bishurul Hafi NA, is a board-certified dermato-venereologist, and is training as a relationship and psychosexual therapist. He is a dedicated student, and received a  gold medal from Manipur University in 2018.  He has been granted a scholarship by the International Society of Sexual Medicine.  He is a Fellow of the European Committee of Sexual Medicine.  He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications spanning diverse subjects, and stands as a significant contributor to the scientific community.  He is the current Vice Chairman of the South Asian Association of Psychodermatology. As a mentor, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of many aspiring doctors seeking to excel in the field of sexual medicine.