Karen Andor

My clients have always been and continue to be my greatest teachers and have spurred me on to improve my practice.

This has led me on a journey from traditionalInitial training Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy led into to understanding the legacy of attachment trauma on mental health in both adults and children; as well as the powerful mechanism of dissociation which all trauma survivors unconsciously employ in order to cope with the unspeakable and the heart-breaking.

Theraplay is a parent-child Therapy developed by Ann Jernberg and Phyllis Booth. It a joyful, nurturing, engaging and playful therapy which supports parents to meet their child’s attachment needs. Theraplay then led me to Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy created by Dan Hughes. This is a beautiful therapy which promotes better understanding, more empathy and opens channels of communication between parents and their children or teens.

But not all childhood difficulties stem from attachment needs not being met in the way the child needs. Some difficulties are born from the day in day out, year after year experience of repeated failure which children with learning difficulties experience throughout their school careers. This is a trauma in and of itself. I was fortunate to have been taught by the remarkable Elaine Harcombe at the University of the Witwatersrand on how to teach children with reading, writing and maths difficulties.

My skills set for supporting children with learning needs has been enhanced in recent years by learning about retained primitive reflexes and how these impact on the learning of both children and adults as well as on their emotional and mental well-being.

My original training was in traditional talk-based therapies, but recent research and clinical practice has demonstrated that trauma leaves its mark on both the body and the mind. I discovered Sensorimotor Psychotherapy developed by Pat Ogden which is a gentle therapy that processes trauma somatically.

When working with the body and trauma, I learnt that my clients were dissociating. In order to work gently and carefully with this powerful protective mechanism, I discovered Janina Fisher’s Trauma Informed Stabilisation Treatment (TIST) and Ralf Vogt’s SPIM30.

Janina Fisher’s TIST is a gentle and powerful approach for supporting clients to manage the legacy of trauma and dissociation.

I have worked for over 6 years on adapting Janina Fisher’s TIST for children and I offer training in this to other therapists.

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Services

Educational Psychology

• Assessments for Education Health and Care Plans for Local Authorities and County Councils
• Assessments for learning and behavioural difficulties
• Access arrangement assessments

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Psychotherapy

• Psychotherapy for children:
• Adopted and looked-after children
• Children with behaviour issues
• Children with anxiety
• Psychotherapy for adults:
• Any issues relating to trauma, attachment or dissociation

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Learning Support

• Johansen Music Therapy
• Learning support for children with reading, writing and maths difficulties
• Training and consultations for schools for behaviour and learning difficulties

Developmental Therapy

• Rhythmic Movement Therapy for retained primitive reflexes

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Training and Workshops

• Children: A New Model for Working with Challenging Behaviours
• Creative Compassion:A new Approach to Working with Extreme Behaviours in Children
• Understanding Childhood Dissociation
• How to you the DIDDY Doll

Certifications:

• MEd Educational Psychology
• BEd (Hons) Remedial Therapy
• Certified Theraplay Therapist
• Certified TIST Therapist
• Certified Rhythmic Movement Therapist
• Certified Johansen Music provider
• Level 1 DDP training
• Level 2 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training
• SPIM30 training

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