HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist | DDP Consultant | PACE Trainer
As a Clinical Psychologist with a background in social work and over 20 years experience supporting children and families impacted by relational trauma, I bring a depth of understanding and compassion to my therapeutic work.
I began imbedding Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) into my practice at Adoptionplus in 2009, becoming a certified DDP practitioner in 2017 and Consultant in 2021.
I am a registered PACE trainer and experienced in delivering DDP-informed group interventions using Kim Golding’s Foundations for Attachments programme. In addition, I have completed the Theraplay® practicum and integrate both approaches to meet the needs of each family.
My experience spans statutory services, the voluntary sector, and residential settings, working with children in local authority care, special guardianship arrangements, and adoption. Before returning to Adoptionplus as Clinical Lead in 2025, I was the Senior Clinical Psychologist in an NHS CAMHS team for children with social workers or in care, where I supported the integration of DDP informed practice. Alongside my role at Adoptionplus, I continue to work in CAMHS with young people with eating disorders.
I have a strong interest in the meaningful inclusion of care-experienced children in research. My doctoral thesis, Children and Young People’s Experiences of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, used creative methods, including Story Stems, to explore children’s perspective on therapy. I continue to supervise doctoral research, and I am an active member of the DDP Research Board.
Recent Publications include:
Christopher, J., Cresswell, C., & Davies, J. (2025). Dyadic developmental psychotherapy for children with developmental trauma histories: An exploration of children’s therapeutic experiences. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Christopher, J., Groom, L., & Cresswell, C. (2025). Experiences of Caregiver–Child Psychotherapies for Developmental Trauma: A Systematic Review. Child & Family Social Work.
I am delighted to lead the Therapy Team at Adoptionplus—a team committed to delivering high-quality, trauma-informed support to adopted and care-experienced children and their families.
Social Work & Therapist Teams
Dr Jess Christopher
Clinical Lead
Dr Jess Christopher
Clinical Lead
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Dr Jess Christopher
Clinical Lead
HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist | DDP Consultant | PACE Trainer
As a Clinical Psychologist with a background in social work and over 20 years experience supporting children and families impacted by relational trauma, I bring a depth of understanding and compassion to my therapeutic work.
I began imbedding Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) into my practice at Adoptionplus in 2009, becoming a certified DDP practitioner in 2017 and Consultant in 2021.
I am a registered PACE trainer and experienced in delivering DDP-informed group interventions using Kim Golding’s Foundations for Attachments programme. In addition, I have completed the Theraplay® practicum and integrate both approaches to meet the needs of each family.
My experience spans statutory services, the voluntary sector, and residential settings, working with children in local authority care, special guardianship arrangements, and adoption. Before returning to Adoptionplus as Clinical Lead in 2025, I was the Senior Clinical Psychologist in an NHS CAMHS team for children with social workers or in care, where I supported the integration of DDP informed practice. Alongside my role at Adoptionplus, I continue to work in CAMHS with young people with eating disorders.
I have a strong interest in the meaningful inclusion of care-experienced children in research. My doctoral thesis, Children and Young People’s Experiences of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, used creative methods, including Story Stems, to explore children’s perspective on therapy. I continue to supervise doctoral research, and I am an active member of the DDP Research Board.
Recent Publications include:
Christopher, J., Cresswell, C., & Davies, J. (2025). Dyadic developmental psychotherapy for children with developmental trauma histories: An exploration of children’s therapeutic experiences. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Christopher, J., Groom, L., & Cresswell, C. (2025). Experiences of Caregiver–Child Psychotherapies for Developmental Trauma: A Systematic Review. Child & Family Social Work.
I am delighted to lead the Therapy Team at Adoptionplus—a team committed to delivering high-quality, trauma-informed support to adopted and care-experienced children and their families.
R Atkins
Therapy Team Manager - London
R Atkins
Therapy Team Manager - London
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R Atkins
Therapy Team Manager - London
BA (Hons) Social Work, DIPSW, MA Integrative Child Psychotherapy, DDP training to Level 1.
I am a Social Worker and Integrative Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist with more than 19 years experience working with children, families and adults.
My previous specialisms include training and facilitation of group work for perpetrators of domestic abuse and working with young offenders. I have also held front line practice and management roles within child protection, leaving care and safeguarding and reviewing services in an innovative, therapeutically integrated Local Authority in London. All of these roles incorporated work with adopted and pre-adoptive children. In addition, I was trained by the Anna Freud Centre as a group facilitator for New Beginnings: an attachment based group intervention for parents and infants.
Alongside my social work practice, I trained and qualified as an Integrative Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist with the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education (IATE). My integrative framework draws upon psychodynamic theory and object relations, attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, developmental trauma and the use of the creative arts in therapy which continue to be my areas of interest.
Dr Jo Temple
Senior Clinical Psychologist - London
Dr Jo Temple
Senior Clinical Psychologist - London
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Dr Jo Temple
Senior Clinical Psychologist - London
I am a Clinical Psychologist in the London Therapeutic Social Work Service. Since qualifying in 2009 I have held posts in NHS children's mental health (CAMHS) and community services, Children's Social Care and the voluntary sector.
Before I joined Adoptionplus I was part of a Looked After Children (LAC) service within Children's Social Care where I worked alongside fostering recruitment and post-permanency, and the LAC health clinic. I am trained in a range of therapeutic and parenting interventions with families and groups, and am experienced in providing specialist consultation, training, and supervision to colleagues in health, social care, education and the voluntary sector. Previously I led a borough-wide CAMHS engagement and participation project in collaboration with YoungMinds in order to facilitate parents and carers impacting directly on the design and delivery of children's services.
In thinking about and responding to experiences of distress for young people and families, I have aligned my practice to social, political, neurobiological and psychological models which honour the role of relationships and wider systems, and which allow for playful and creative ways of working. This has led me to further training in Narrative Therapy (level 2); Video Interaction Guidance (stage 2); Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (level 2) and Theraplay (level 2).
I have a longstanding personal mindfulness practice and have trained to deliver mindfulness-based interventions with the Bangor Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, the Oxford Centre for Mindfulness and the Mindfulness in Schools Project.
Jesse Carlebach
Therapeutic Social Work Consultant - London
Jesse Carlebach
Therapeutic Social Work Consultant - London
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Jesse Carlebach
Therapeutic Social Work Consultant - London
I am a therapeutic social worker based in the DDP Social Work Service in North London.
I have worked as a social worker for over 30 years, mainly in the field of adoption. I have extensive experience in the assessment and preparation of adoptive families and supporting the newly formed family. In the past 5 years I have focused on adoption support and have a broad knowledge and understanding of the multifaceted aspects of support needed by adoptive families managing the complexity of their child's therapeutic, educational and health needs.
I have experience of running workshops and support groups for adoptive parents and enjoy helping adoptive parents develop their knowledge and skills, whilst at the same time facilitating the adopters in supporting each other.
Over the years I developed an interest in Systemic Family Therapy and have a Diploma in Systemic Therapy from the Institute of Family Therapy. I also incorporate many aspects of psychoanalytic theories in my work and have an MA in Emotional Well Being from the Tavistock Clinic. I have completed training in DDP Level One and Life Story Work.
In addition I have always been interested in the role of research and how it informs social work practice and completed an MA in Social Research Methods in Social Work, focusing on Later Life Letters using arts based methods to explore the subject.
Heidi Gazeley
Therapeutic Social Worker
Heidi Gazeley
Therapeutic Social Worker
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Heidi Gazeley
Therapeutic Social Worker
I have been working with children and families since 2002; working in schools across London supporting children with Special Educational Needs, in Community Centres undertaking play work and as a Family Support Worker in local communities.
I qualified as a Social Worker in 2011 with a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
Post qualifying, I worked as a Local Authority Social Worker in Haringey and Camden and Milton Keynes, undertaking Referral and Assessment, Child Protection, Looked After Children and Court work. I am ABE trained.
In 2017 I moved to Chicago where I completed Theraplay training.
Since returning to the UK I have been working for the NHS Hertfordshire as a Clinical Social Worker, undertaking mental health assessments and offering therapeutic services to young people in care with complex needs.
I am a creative person with a Master of Arts degree in Photojournalism, an interest in languages with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French. I have a personal practice of Mindfulness and enjoy swimming and cycling.
I am excited to be part of the Adoptionplus Team, I look forward to being part of this significant journey in children and carers' lives.
Jo Meyjes
Team Manager - Birth Relative Counselling
Jo Meyjes
Team Manager - Birth Relative Counselling
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Jo Meyjes
Team Manager - Birth Relative Counselling
BA (Hons) Social Policy and Administration, CQSW
I began my career in social work in 1987 working at the Cotswold Community, a residential therapeutic community for neglected, abused and traumatised boys. In 1992 I qualified as a social worker and started working for Northamptonshire County Council. I spent 10 years working in child care where I placed over 20 children for adoption and developed my interest in working with adopted children and their families. In 2003 I became the first post adoption support worker in Northamptonshire and spent 10 years working in the Team ending up in the role of Team Manager. By this time the team was also supporting Special Guardians too. In 2013 I became Northamptonshire's Adoption Panel Adviser and Adoption Support Services Adviser (ASSA).
In September 2016 I was very pleased to join Adoptionplus as the Service Manager. I had previously worked with Adoptionplus and had experience of their excellent therapeutic work with adopted families and their Birth Parent Counselling Service. I have responsibility for liaising with social workers wishing to make a referral to Adoptionplus to the Therapy Team for assessment and therapeutic work with adopted families; the Placement Team and the Birth Relative Counselling Service.
Ian Orr-Campbell
Birth Relative Counsellor & Mindfulness Practitioner
Ian Orr-Campbell
Birth Relative Counsellor & Mindfulness Practitioner
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Ian Orr-Campbell
Birth Relative Counsellor & Mindfulness Practitioner
Dip Person Centred Counselling, RMA, NVQ4 Management, NEBS
I qualified as a person centered counsellor in 1999. I have worked for Mind, Barnardos Link, Voice of the Child in Care and the National Youth Advercacy Services. Alongside my counselling work, I have also worked for 18 years with people with learning difficulties in both residential and day care settings.
I joined Adoptionplus' birth relative counselling service in 2004, and have worked with a number of birthparents and grandparents on feelings related to the loss of their children. I have also provided counselling services to adopters and adult adoptees.
Steph Pagio
Birth Relative Counsellor
Steph Pagio
Birth Relative Counsellor
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Steph Pagio
Birth Relative Counsellor
BSc Psychology, MA Counselling Psychology, BPS Chartered Psychologist, HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist.
I qualified as a Licensed Professional Counsellor in 2016 in San Antonio, Texas where my role with the local mental health authority partnering with Felony Drug Court enabled me to work with individuals experiencing co-occurring substance use disorders and complex mental health challenges. I encountered clients with multiple traumas and undertook training in EMDR. Moving to the UK I received reciprocity as a Counselling Psychologist and continue to work with complex clients in my role with the NHS.
I joined Adoptionplus as a birth relative counsellor in 2018, I was drawn to their creative, supportive, trauma informed approach to working with birth relatives. I provide counselling services to birth parents, aunt, uncles and grandparents assisting in the exploration and processing of feelings related to the loss of their children. I also work with kinship carers and adopted adults enabling space to explore their challenging experiences.
Dr Kim Golding
Consultant
Dr Kim Golding
Consultant
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Dr Kim Golding
Consultant
I am a consultant clinical psychologist with a longstanding interest in parenting, and collaborating with parents or carers to develop their parenting skills tailored to the particular needs of the children they are caring for. I have a special interest in supporting foster carers and adoptive parents. I was involved in the setting up and evaluation of an inter-agency project in Worcestershire, This team is now part of the Integrated Service for Looked After Children.
Within this service I have developed a range of direct and indirect interventions based on Attachment Theory, and have carried out research exploring the use of a Consultation Service for foster carers and other professionals. I provide monthly consultation to Adoptionplus. Drawing on my experience providing therapeutic support to foster and adoptive families, this provides the team with an opportunity to reflect on specific pieces of work with families.