Why work with me?

With thirty years of experience as a chartered psychologist and emotional and mental health coach, I value supporting children, young people and adults to optimum mental, emotional and physical health. My approach is based on using research and evidence based practice from the fields of human strengths and positive psychology, solution focussed thinking, cognitive behaviour thinking and acceptance and commitment based therapy.

I use activities, interventions, questionnaires and assessments created by the world’s top universities, organisations and researchers to help you reflect, consider and find pathways for a better learning / work environment, work life balance, manage emotional turbulence, career and life changes.

The one thing about life is that everyone will experience difficult times at one point or another.  This might be related to education, work, family, friendships, social network, mental and physical health, climate change and other environmental factors such as pandemics. These events displace us and shake up our emotions, confidence and courage.  My role is to support you in rediscovering yourself.  I help you to identify your strengths, realise what you aspire to achieve, how you can make that happen and how you can connect with yourself, others and your surroundings.  All with a view to enable you to flourish from a place of self-insight, courage and wisdom.

I use thirty years of professional development and experiences to provide a service from a highly qualified, theoretically skilled and broad range to understand your emotions and needs and thereby help you to navigate to the best you that you can be.

I’m a science driven, fact based practitioner who is passionate about brain health which drives physical and emotional well-being.  I understand and I know I can help you understand the mind-body connection, the link between brain and body health (emotionally, physically and mentally).

I can support you in learning about your strengths and difficulties and provide powerful evidence based strategies and techniques to create healthy, resilient and flourishing children, young people, adults and society so that you can have the courage and clarity to live a healthy and meaningful life.

 

MY CORE BELIEF

Listening to children, young people and adults’ deeper attitudes and ideas that underpin their motivation and the essential meaning they attach to their lives; building a knowledge of their strengths and the challenges they experience, equipping them with powerful practical strategies so they develop self-belief and flourish into autonomous, confident and courageous individuals.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

PORTFOLIO: Chartered Psychologist and Coaching Consultant, experienced in:

• Enabling children, young people and adults to create a more meaningful and fulfilling life and career using activities, interventions, questionnaires and assessments created by the world’s top universities, organisations and researchers.
• Providing an assessment and consultancy service to identify developmental and emotional needs of children, young people and adults.
• Equipping children, young people and adults with a full range of learning, development and emotional solutions to enable individuals to flourish and be the best that they can be.
• Coaching using a variety of strengths-based and solution-focused strategies.
• Equipping children, young people and adults to manage emotional needs related to self-belief, worry and anxiety so that they can develop courage, inner calm and peace.
• Helping adults to navigate through work life balance, perfectionism, career changes and life changes by working through practical and powerful research based strategies.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

BSc. Hons. Neurobiology – University of Sussex
Postgraduate Certificate of Education – University of Sussex
MEd. Educational Psychology – University of Exeter
Doctorate in Psychology – University College London
Certificate in Hypnotherapy
Diploma in Energy Psychotherapy

 

Key Areas of Specialism:

Children and Young People

Assessments:  Assessments for dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia (fine motor skills), dysgraphia, giftedness, emotional well-being (worry, anxiety, low mood, lack of confidence, lack of self-belief, perfectionism, low self-esteem, fear of failure, stress), examination access arrangements, Disabled Student Allowance (DSA).

Emotional Growth to Have a Flourishing Life: Enabling children and young people to recognise the importance of what makes a good life by focussing on five key areas of human flourishing: positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning and accomplishment.

Supportive Strategies to Develop Healthy Mind-sets: Using powerful resources from the field of Positive Psychology to focus on human strengths such as hope, optimism, flourishing, happiness, resilience, self-belief, inner confidence, growth mind-set, self-worth, empathy, gratitude, compassion and kindness to develop healthy individuals and healthy societies.

Gaining Autonomy and Self-belief: Focusing on learning, emotional, social and self-help strengths to enable children and young people gain autonomy and self-belief.  Key features include identifying one’s strengths, developing metacognitive thinking skills, problem-solving skills, resilience, growth mind-set and well-being strategies for a healthy, flourishing mind.  Also strategies to manage worry, anxiety and fear, low mood, lack of confidence and perfectionism.

 

Adults

Having a Flourishing Life:  Enabling adults to recognise the importance of what makes a good life by focussing on five key areas of human flourishing: positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning and accomplishment.

Navigating Life Changes:  Using activities, interventions, questionnaires and assessments created by the world’s top universities, organisations and researchers to reflect, consider and find pathways for a better work life balance, manage emotional turbulence, career and life changes.

Powerful Supportive Strategies:  Using powerful resources from the field of Positive Psychology to focus on human strengths such as hope, optimism, flourishing, happiness, resilience, self-belief, inner confidence, growth mind-set, self-worth, empathy, gratitude, compassion and kindness to develop healthy individuals and healthy societies.

 

Career Progression

Sima started her career as a primary school teacher which gave her a deep insight into the strengths that children, young people and professionals have and the difficulties and challenges they experience.  She went on to gain her Masters in Psychology at the University of Exeter before practising for a variety of local authorities.  Sima then worked as a chartered psychologist and consultant for a private consultancy giving her the experience to work with a wide range of businesses, schools, colleges and universities.  She went on to build on her interest in wellbeing and positive psychology to gain her Doctorate in Psychology at University College London where she developed the first strengths-based coaching programme in the UK for college students.

Sima has worked for a large number of corporate businesses including the BMW group, lastminute.com and the English Cricket Board delivering a range of psychology based training and development programmes including problem-solving, team building and leadership skills.  She continues to deliver a coaching approach to businesses focussing on individuals experiencing worry, anxiety, stress, work life balance concerns, perfectionism and emotional concerns linked to life and career changes.

Sima has worked with children, young people and adults for 30 years. She opened her own practice nine years ago focussing on psychoeducational assessments and interventions for children, young people and adults and has built a strong reputation for her work across Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Dorset, and London as well as working with International School students around the globe.   Her particular interest is in gaining deep insight into the meaning that children, young people and adults attach to their lives, assess their strengths and difficulties and then implement a range of solution focussed therapeutic techniques alongside practical strategies to help individuals reframe their beliefs about their lives and to develop autonomy and independence so they can live a far more fulfilling and flourishing life.

Sima was born in Uganda and moved to the UK at the age of 6. She has worked in Belgium, New York, France, Sweden, Germany, Dubai and New Zealand enabling her to gain a deep insight into cultural diversity, cultural demands including shame and pride and the impact of significant transitions, both positive and negative, in children, young people and adult lives.

 

Charities

So far, in line with the values that Sima lives by, The Wellbeing Practice has been involved in supporting the following charities:

• SOS Children’s Villages for 25 consecutive years.
• Water Aid for 36 consecutive years.
• Find Your Feet – July 2016 and 2017
• Dolphin House Charity – August 2017
• Dolphin House Charity – June 2018