About Dr Kerry Davies
I challenge anyone to convince me that play dough isn’t always a good idea…
Children always feel more comfortable sharing when their hands are busy, even the bigger ones. In fact, its usually the parents who enjoy the playfulness the most! I’m a big believer that therapy should not be confined to a chair…putting clients at ease is the first thing on my agenda.
Not sure where to start? let me worry about that. Your part of the deal is just to turn up and get to know me. I will lead you through everything else.
But wait…who am I?
Hi, I’m Kerry.
I have been a fully qualified and HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist since 2016, and have worked in various roles within mental health services since 2008 both in the NHS and in local councils. I started working privately a few years ago, after struggling to balance working in a very busy NHS team with parenting my children in the way that I valued. I would love to tell you that in my free time I go hiking, wild swimming and that I teach yoga…but unfortunately, I don’t have much free time and when I do I might be napping or catching up on a series.
Throughout my career I have specialised in working with children and families. Alongside NICE recommended treatment approaches for mental health difficulties such as depression or anxiety, I also have specialist training and experience of working with children in care and adoptive families. I am trained in specific approaches to therapy which aim to strengthen attachment and resolve trauma.
“…this has seen her make progress.”
“When our daughter started to have issues at home and school we looked for therapeutic help. She had some issues in the past and therapy had helped but the time she has spent with Kerry has allowed her to be more comfortable in sessions and has been able to share parts of her past that she hadn’t been able to previously and this has seen her make progress.”
My values
Connection
I believe that connection is key to physical and mental health. Making and improving connection is at the core of everything I do!
Community
I believe that we are definitely ‘better together’ and I believe that combatting social isolation and bringing together develops resilience and acceptance. As they say, there is safety in numbers!
Playfulness
Therapy and psychological support for children and families should never be boring. We need to help children enjoy therapy because this is what helps them to seek support from others again and again.
Solidarity
I work to bring everyone together on a joint mission to make improvements for the whole family. I know how easily it is to feel lost when your child is struggling, and it can be easy to feel alone with it. Nobody gets off the hook…we need to be working with our children to turn things around. I am here to support the whole family.
Simplicity
I want to live with less and fight against the ‘pull’ towards materialism, consumerism and the constant comparison to others that has us all on a constant treadmill of needing more to feel worthy. Sometimes keeping things simple is the best way…like beans on toast!
Healthy, happy parents and guardians help raise happy healthy kids!
I have two main passions in my work…
Putting people at ease
Firstly, making psychological support accessible, and even fun! I believe that this starts with developing good relationships, trust, and supporting children and young people being able to enjoy their time with me. Starting therapy can be overwhelming and I do everything I can to make the process welcoming and put parents and children at ease.
Support for parents
Secondly, I love to work with parents; I fully believe that healthy happy parents raise healthy happy kids. Parenting is a slog, and parenting children with additional needs or mental health struggles can be isolating and harmful to our own well-being. Supporting parents to understand their child’s difficulties and respond in the best way they can often means the child doesn’t need to see me at all!
People I work with
Sometimes after our consultation session I might recommend another therapist or specialist for you to work with. They are still a part of the “Dr Kerry Davies” team, but different specialisms might make one of them a better fit for you.
Dr Jane Tyler-Collings ~ Clinical Psychologist
Hi, I am Jane Tyler-Collings, a HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist working in the NHS and independently, and living in the Greater Manchester area. Since qualifying to practice in 2011 I have worked in mental health and physical health services supporting children, young people and their families. I offer specialised assessment to families and children and I am able to provide NICE recommended approaches to support family relationships and emotional well-being. I aim to meet families with the values of openness, curiosity and respect. It is important to me that my assessment and plan for intervention is collaborative with you, and tailored to you and your families needs.
Sally ~ ADHD Clinical Nurse Specialist
Hi, I’m Sally, I am qualified nurse an adult nursing by background since 1983 and then school nursing. For many years I developed an interest in ADHD during my school nursing career, and then working in general practice I started to look at service development. I moved on to set up an ADHD service and develop it along best practice guidelines. I have been lucky to work on developing greater Manchester models of ADHD service delivery and on some research projects using QB test which is an objective measure of ADHD symptoms. I have been an ADHD Clinical Nurse Specialist for 15 years now I work primarily in the NHS and also do some private assessments. I am a mum of two and an Oma/grandma to 2 little boys. We have a high level of Neurodiversity within our family with myself having ADHD and my eldest daughter also having ADHD, this has become a special interest for us both. I’ve been trained in lots of approaches to support families including CBT and incredible years program but feel passionately about helping families get a good thorough assessment with good evidence based tools and good signposting on to appropriate services.
Rachael ~ Speech & Language Therapist
Hi, Rachael here! I am a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with experience working across a variety of NHS Trusts, and now within Independent Practice. I support children and young people from as young as 18 months up until early adulthood with a variety of Speech, Language, and Communication needs. My personal area of clinical interest has always been in social communication, including autism spectrum disorder and adhd. I believe there is no one “right” way to communicate, and my favourite part of my job is being able to learn about each individual clients own way of communicating, and supporting them to be able to use this communication in a way that works for them! I have experience in supporting ADOS assessments and diagnoses, as well as in writing supporting diagnostic reports for children of varying ages.
Sam ~ Super Duper Admin Whizz
Hi, My name is Sam, or Rainbow to my friends. Kerry likes to call me Super Duper Admin Whizz!
I currently work as a secretary for Clinical Child Psychologists, Consultants and Therapists. I have over 10 years experience working with Mental Health professionals, I’ve supported young adults with ASD, ADHD and Sensory & Learning Difficulties. I am also trained in Makaton. My job is to make sure you get all of the information you need, that appointments run smoothly and any to manage any other queries you might have about how things run around here! If I don’t know, I’ll find a way to figure it out so please come to me if you have any questions or if you need anything
Dr Lucie Rutter ~ Clinical Psychologist
I have over 10 years’ experience working in both NHS and private mental health services. I have experience working with young people with a variety of mental health problems, such as anxiety, low mood and depression, OCD, PTSD, and phobias. I have supported young people and parents with difficulties such as school refusal and self-harm. I also have experience of assessing and contributing towards diagnosis for Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I usually meet with parents and young people together to begin with and then with the young person on their own when they feel comfortable to do so. Exploring the challenges fully is vital, so that we really understand what might be helpful. I am flexible in my approach to therapy, drawing on multiple ‘types’ of therapy. I am experienced in seeing children on their own or offering family based sessions and working together.
Feel like you’d be a good fit as part of the team?
We’d love to hear from you.
If you read through our values and thought ‘yep that sounds like me’ – Head over to our contact page and leave us a message. We’ll arrange a call and go from there.