Child psychology meet the team

Sam has worked in the trust since 2012 starting off in children’s outpatients and in psychology since 2015 Sam enjoys meeting parents and children during their time at the hospital.

Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and travelling.

Maria trained as a clinical psychologist at the University of Southampton, qualifying in 2009. She joined the child psychology team in 2012 and works with the cystic fibrosis and long term ventilation teams.

Maria feels very fortunate to love her job and the people she works with. She enjoys meeting young people and their families and hearing about their lives, the things they value and their strengths.

When not at work Maria likes to spend time with friends and family, get out into nature, read and cook. 

Rachel trained at Salomons, Canterbury Christ Church University. Since qualifying, she has worked in community and hospital settings with children and young people with significant health and cognitive needs. Rachel has recently returned from working overseas and is excited to have joined the team.

Her main clinical focus is to support children and their families as they adjust to life with an acquired brain injury.

Taryn joined the team in 2014, after completing her training at the University of Surrey and gaining experience working in child and adolescent mental health services. Her roles involve working with children with neurological difficulties, including completing neuropsychological assessments and providing rehabilitation. Taryn enjoys working creatively with children and their families and being part of such a caring team. 

When Taryn is not working, she enjoys keeping active through running, cycling, ice skating and yoga.

Maret joined UHS as a staff psychologist during the summer of 2020 and is grateful to be part of such a skilled, experienced and warm hearted team.

Maret has worked in the NHS, academia and industry and has special interests in mindfulness and compassion based approaches, leadership and coaching psychology.

Maret enjoys practicing meditation and yoga, swimming and spending time in nature.

Nicky trained at the University of Southampton and, after working with the team as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist in 2019, was delighted to re-join the team as a qualified Clinical Psychologist in 2021. Nicky has always loved working with children and young people and their families and feels fortunate to be able to provide support for them through difficult times and to celebrate their progress and achievements.

Outside of work, Nicky enjoys spending time with her friends and family, she also enjoys cooking, country walks, dancing, listening to music and watching a good film.

Caroline trained at the University of Southampton, qualifying in 2008. Prior to joining the team in 2021, Caroline spent most of her career working with profoundly deaf children and their families, who either had or were considering cochlear implants. Caroline’s role in the child psychology team is within the neonatal unit, supporting babies, their families and the hospital staff who care for them.

Outside of work, Caroline enjoys spending time with her family and friends - typically on muddy dog walks or bike rides!

Kirsty trained at the University of Southampton and joined the team in 2019. She feels very lucky to be able work with young people and their families, supporting them when things are difficult. Kirsty works with young people and their families who have been impacted by neurological illness or injury.

Outside of work, Kirsty likes to be near the water, is a keen baker and loves to travel.

Mary joined the team in 2014, after qualifying from the University of Southampton. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, running and travelling.

Laura trained as a clinical psychologist at UCL in London before joining the team in January 2020. She has previously worked with children and young people in both child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) and hospital settings. Laura loves meeting young people and families, and thinking with them about how they can live the kind of lives they want to lead when a health problem is making this feel difficult.

When she’s not at work, Laura loves spending time with her family and friends, cooking, and exploring new places.  

Kate trained at the University of Southampton qualifying in 2018. Her training included working with the child psychology team as a trainee. She was very excited to re-join the team in 2025 after working for six years in child and adolescent mental health services in Hampshire. Kate works mainly supporting children and families from the cardiology service. She loves working with people, supporting them in difficult times and likes to be creative and adapt her work for individual children and families. Kate is also very interested in research helping to explore the new ways of understanding the needs of young people and how to support them best.

When not working, Kate enjoys spending time with her family, yoga, cooking and reading.

Rob qualified in 2012 from the University of Warwick and worked at Birmingham Children’s Hospital before joining the team here in 2025. He shares his time between PICU and general paediatrics. Rob has a passion for working alongside patients and families using systemic and narrative approaches. Outside of work Rob enjoys spending time in the countryside with his family and Labrador.

Rachel trained as a clinical psychologist in Southampton, qualifying in 2006. She worked in children and adolescent mental health services, before joining the child psychology team in 2009.

Her main roles in the team are within Bursledon House, for children and families with complex difficulties where physical health and emotional well being affect each other; and in the children’s sleep clinic, trying to get to the root of lots of different sleep problems.

Rachel enjoys working with our patients and their families to find out what is going on, and building on their strengths and skills to help things along. Outside of work, she loves reading, walking and baking.

After working with the team in 2017 as part of her training at the University of Southampton, Emma was excited to return to the team in 2018. She loves working with children, young people and their families, helping to provide support when things are tricky. She is always amazed at the strength, resilience and creativity of the young people she works with.

Outside of work, she is a keen baker, loves running, and travelling to far-away places.

Sarah joined the team in 2009 after studying at the University of Southampton. She's worked in lots of areas in the children's hospital, and currently works with children and families who are outpatients in general paediatrics, as well as with children with sleep disorders.

Sarah loves working with children of all ages and enjoys getting to know the whole family and helping them to improve their quality of life. When she's not at work, Sarah likes to be with her friends and family. She enjoys travelling, exploring the New Forest and reading. 

Anna trained at Royal Holloway, University of London. Since qualifying in 2001, the majority of Anna’s clinical experience has been in neuropsychological assessment with adults and children. Now in Southampton, she works with children who have epilepsy and other neurological difficulties. Anna is excited to work with children and their families to support them through the challenges they experience.

Anna has the travel bug but after living and working in a variety of diverse countries and cultures, she has finally hung up her passport! In her spare time, Anna enjoys spending time with family and friends and going for muddy walks in the countryside. 

Lara trained at University College London and worked in paediatric psychology teams in London and Oxford before coming to Southampton in 2020. She shares her time between general paediatrics and oncology and haematology teams, where she enjoys working with children and their families, and the staff teams who look after them.

When she is not at work, she can often be found walking, cooking, or crocheting.

Sarah first worked in the team as a trainee clinical psychologist in 2023, and returned to work in the team as a clinical psychologist in 2024. Sarah works across neuropsychology and respiratory. She loves working with children, young people, and their families, as well as the medical teams that support them. Sarah is here to help you to understand what’s happening for you, and to support you when things feel tough. She can help you to build on your skills, strengths, and resilience for managing tough times in the future. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, playing music, and going to the gym.

Katie joined the team as office manager and is delighted to be part of such a great team. She looks after the day to day tasks in the office and is committed to ensuring every patient’s journey is smooth, compassionate and efficient.

Outside of work, Katie loves spending time with her family, friends and her horse, Clover.

Amy joined the team in 2006, having trained in Southampton and Salisbury. She works with the team in oncology and haematology. Amy enjoys working with children and young people, as they often have really creative ways of thinking about and coping with what is happening to them. Amy recognises how important it is to care for the whole family when a child is poorly, and she is also very enthusiastic about supporting the staff working at this hospital so that they can provide the best care possible.

When Amy isn’t at work she likes to be outside…walking, running, cycling and generally being active, or if the weather keeps her indoors then she likes to bake.

Lucy first worked in the team as a trainee in 2017, before qualifying as a clinical psychologist at the University of Southampton in 2018. After qualifying, she worked in child and adolescent mental health services before returning to the team in May 2022. Lucy enjoys working with children of all ages, as well as their families, helping them find ways to flourish, and her role involves working closely with the respiratory team.

Outside of work, Lucy enjoys spending time with family and being outdoors, especially near the sea and the forest.

Cicely qualified as a clinical psychologist at University of Southampton in 2011. She has a longstanding interest in health psychology, working in research at University College London prior to training, with a desire to understand better the links between physical and mental health and their connections to wider societal factors.

Cicely has worked for the past several years in a local children and adolescent mental health service (CAHMS), enjoying the variety and challenge of working with children and young people of all ages as well as their families and wider networks. She has experience of working with neurodiversity and autism assessments.

Outside of work Cicely likes to spend time with her family and friends and when time allows, running, yoga, cooking, gardening, reading, learning about mythology and travelling!

Carolyn joined the team in 2003, and is the team's longest serving member. Even though that makes her sound old she likes to think she is young at heart and enjoys spending time with children of all ages and meeting the other important people in their lives. She especially enjoys using fun and creative approaches to work alongside children and young people, often uncovering hidden skills and strengths in the face of difficulties.

Carolyn values all round wellbeing and is immensely proud to be part of a team committed to looking after each other as well as their colleagues and their patients... Outside of work, she likes to be in nature as much as possible. She loves to dive (sometimes with sharks) and is a huge wildlife enthusiast.

Alice trained in Surrey and qualified as a clinical psychologist in 2014. She has always specialised in working with children and families and prior to joining us as Southampton was working at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. She has been working with the Southampton Children’s Diabetes Team since 2020 and really enjoys the privilege of supporting the young people and parents that she meets in this role.

Outside of work, Alice enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and running – usually somewhere muddy!

Craig is a New Zealander who has been living in the UK for the past two years to gain experience of life and work in the UK and Europe. At SCH he works from Tues-Thurs as a systemic psychotherapist in paediatric nephrology (children's renal services), having trained in both family therapy and psychodrama. He is a keen cyclist, particularly touring on trails away from main roads from Turkey to England, and recently, from Amsterdam to Stockholm. In private practice he leads personal development groups in the community using psychodrama. Contact him to talk about family therapy or psychodrama.