meet jemma

As a trauma therapist, supervisor and educator, I hold a strong belief and commitment to care and connection and a love ethic as guiding values in my work. I truly believe that we cannot heal without being connected, seen and heard. This includes connecting to our own bodies, ourselves, our loved ones and our communities.

I am a social worker at my heart. I am an activist and advocate and see my clients in context of their environment. I strongly believe we have to work to change the systems that hoard power and cause harm. 

I have a particular interest in working with people affected by war, conflict and displacement. My experience includes working with refugee and migrant children and families, and I have published research on play with refugee children and children impacted by war and conflict. I also supervise mental health practitioners working with people impacted by war.

My work is informed by EMDR, Flash Technique, Child and Family Play Therapy and person-centred therapy, as well as attachment and systemic approaches.

As a social worker, I am interested in understanding people within the context of their families, communities and wider systems. This is particularly important when working with people who have experienced war, conflict, displacement and migration. I consider the impact of these experiences alongside culture, identity, relationships, belonging and the social and political contexts in which people are living.

My practice is also informed by human rights and social justice. I believe that people should have a voice in decisions that affect their lives, and that healing cannot always be separated from the circumstances and systems that have shaped our experiences.

My experience includes:

• refugee and migrant children and families

• survivors of sexual and gender-based violence including human trafficking

• individual and group parent support services including Circle of Security

• young people living with disabilities

• children in care and their families