If you would like to find out more about Phoenix then please fill in the form below or contact
Referrals:
t. +44 (0)333 015 0 331
e. referrals@plcl.org.uk
Adult Referrals:
e. adultreferrals@plcl.org.uk
General Enquiries:
t. +44 (0)330 135 8 135
e. hello@plcl.org.uk
Recruitment:
t. +44 (0)330 135 8 135
e. recruitment@plcl.org.uk
Bio Coming Soon…
Dean joined Phoenix as the Head of IT in June 2023, coming from a long career spanning over 25 years in IT supporting roles.
Having supported a diverse mix of companies over the years including Solicitors, Estate agents, Charites and the Ministry of Defence he understands the importance of having a robust reliable platform to serve the business needs and is enjoying the daily challenges in which his position brings.
In his spare time Dean enjoys cycling, kayaking, paddling boarding, and walking his very energetic dogs Parker & Penny. He also likes to get away whenever he can to his little Cornish bolt hole for R&R.
Olivia joined in September 2024 as Head of Finance and was attracted to Phoenix for its strong core values. Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2016, Olivia has a diverse range of experience from both practice and industry including education, technology, testing certification and telematics.
She is responsible for the overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Finance and Payroll Teams, ensuring that they partner with the wider Group to achieve financial success.
Outside of work Olivia loves spending time with her husband and daughters especially going on trips to Disney World.
Therapies Director
Consultant Counselling Psychologist
Bio Coming Soon…
I qualified and registered as an art psychotherapist in 2020 from Roehampton university. Prior to my training I completed a BA degree in Fine Art and a PGCE in Post Compulsory Education Specialising in the Arts. I have worked in multiple capacities with children and adults with learning disability, autism diagnosis, and mental illness, across schools, residential and community settings, and dyadically alongside family members.
An interest of mine, which was central to my final year research project, is the context of art therapy, specifically the environment, and its impact on the therapeutic process. Work on this project coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic which for myself and many practitioners, resulted in a move to online therapy and the absence of a physical therapy space altogether. Jo (drama therapist) has done an incredible job at creating a safe, accessible and therapeutic space for the people we support at Acorn School, and I’m keen to contribute to this.
Further to this, I have a particular interest in working systemically and wholeheartedly believe in the difference we can make to individuals if therapeutic progress is not made in isolation within an art therapy session, but embedded contextually across multiple aspects of a child’s life. The therapeutic model used by the Integrated Therapies Team at Phoenix promotes this way of working. I am really keen to build positive working relationships with team members at Acorn School to ensure a consistent and therapeutic approach for our students.
Outside of work, I run (I’ve got a place at London Marathon 2023 and will be running for MS society), go cold water swimming in the sea, and spend time with my young family. I love to bake, although I’ll often forget a vital ingredient, and I’m a big fan of a cuppa tea and a packet of custard creams.
I have worked at Phoenix for 11 years after originally training as a teacher in Further Education working with students ranging from 16-55 years with additional needs.
I have worked in variety of settings supporting clients with learning disabilities with their mental health well-being.
Since qualifying as an Art Therapist I have worked with both adults and young people. I am interested in how our backgrounds affect us in the present and how this comes out in the artwork we create.
I mainly focus on how art making can support people to understand and process their emotions and traumas in ways that cannot be expressed in words, or when the words cannot be found.
Some other interests that influence my practice are meditation and mindfulness, group dynamics and understanding trauma-informed organisations.
In my role at Phoenix I work alongside teams to provide therapeutically informed support as well as one-to-one and group Art Therapy sessions for young people.
As a clinical psychologist I have worked with adults, children and young people from a very wide-range of backgrounds for over 20 years. My special interests are trauma, PTSD and psychosis and I am passionate about providing access for as many people as possible to psychological treatments that work.
My role in Phoenix is to provide strategic and clinical advice and guidance to the Integrated Therapies Team and advise the board of clinical and psychological advances.
I have worked for 20 years in a therapeutic capacity in special needs schools, adult mental health, CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health) and in private practice. I have a particular interest in Autistic spectrum disorders, ADHD and Trauma.
I draw on a range of theories and use metaphors, physical action, movement, and a wide spectrum of creative arts including art and music, to enable the client to make personal connections to the work and find an indirect way in to exploring and understanding the issues that they come with.
I have been working with in mental health for the past 15 years as a support worker and for the past 7 years as a Psychotherapist. I offer integrative therapy and believe in working with the client on an individual basis adapting the approach I use to be able to do this.
My special interests lie with working with people who have Autism. I am particularly interested in how people process information, trauma and attachment. I also work with obsessive compulsive disorder, using a range of CBT techniques.
For over a decade I have had the pleasure of working within the therapeutic and education sector with many incredible individuals, and since 2017 I have had the honour of being able to provide Art Therapy to those amazing people.
Art Therapy is a way in which our inner child, our mind and body come together to overcome barriers through the medium of creating images, sculptures and mess. It can help work with understanding ourselves, while visually telling a story that can be told and heard, without ever speaking a single word.
My role here at Phoenix is to work alongside the therapeutic team and provide empathetic evidence-based therapeutic support to those who need it.
Music Therapist
I am an HCPC registered Music Therapist who works within a person-centred and client-led approach, and where active music-making and improvisation are often the predominant therapeutic intervention methods. I have many years of experience providing personalised Music Therapy sessions in both mainstream and special schools and colleges, as well as in community settings.
In my role as a Music Therapist, I offer sessions with the aim of supporting the mental, physical and emotional health and well being of children and young people with complex additional support needs, such as communication and learning difficulties; sensory impairments; autism spectrum conditions; acquired brain injury; social, emotional and mental health difficulties; trauma and attachment disorders; profound and multiple learning difficulties; and life-limiting conditions.
Using music as the medium through which the therapeutic processes can be explored, allows those I work with to express their emotions and experiences in a creative, accessible, playful and relational way. The music itself provides a safe way of communicating, the therapeutic space offers a safe space in which to do so, and the secure therapeutic relationship allows all layers of the work to be shared, acknowledged, explored and processed.
I have several years of experience working therapeutically with children and young people in education and care. My interests are attachment and trauma, brain development, and organisational dynamics – I am keen to observe what happens in organisations and how it affects their members.
I believe that our inner workings often happen on a non-verbal level, and creative therapies offer individuals a chance to communicate and be understood without using words. I am passionate about exploring the use of voice, vocalizing and singing in music therapy, and the voices connection to the body and mind.
Therapies Director
Consultant Counselling Psychologist
I have worked therapeutically for over a decade with adults, children and young people and I have extensive experience of working within mental health services.
I am proud to lead a forward thinking, diverse group of therapists whose work makes a difference to the people we support. An important part of my role is working closely with our Care and Education colleagues to continually strive to improve the outcomes of the people we support and to be a trauma-informed organisation.
My special interests are attachment and trauma. I’m very interested in how the attachments we have formed in our early life may shape our future relationships and mental health, and how later positive attachments can help us find the strength to overcome problems. This understanding informs the work I do with individuals and drives my passion to improve the lives of our children and adults through providing attachment and trauma informed therapeutic care. I am also very interested in working with teams and strongly believe that through investing in and supporting our teams who work daily with the people we support this is where we can create the most positive change for children and young adults.
Assistant Psychologist
I have experience working with children who have experienced early developmental trauma or have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Conditions as both a teaching assistant and support worker. I have also worked as a support worker for adults with mental health difficulties living in a community based supported living service. I have received Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (level one) training and consequently have extensive experience using PACE.
I am particularly interested in the value of attachment and trauma informed residential services and schools and finding ways to integrate the PACE approach into a way of being with children and young people. My role is to support the Head of Therapies across all Phoenix services by providing assessments, training, interventions and team support.
I have worked for over 10 years with children and adults with mental health needs, learning disabilities and Autism.
I am passionate about improving the lives of children and young people with mental health issues and further to this, in supporting teams to develop a healthy environment for the children and young people in the homes, schools and colleges.
I have a special interest in Autism. I have trained in ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) and have conducted Autism Assessments in the past. I also have an interest in trauma and how its effects can change with the right support. I believe in the benefits of teamwork and multidisciplinary approaches to offer a holistic response to the children’s needs.
My role within Phoenix involves working alongside teams providing therapeutically informed support, offering one-to-one therapy for children and young people in the homes and Education settings, conducting psychological assessments and delivering training in relevant psychological presentations and approaches.
I have over 10 years’ experience working with children and adults with a variety of communication strengths and needs in a range of settings, including a secure forensic hospital and specialist school settings.
My special interests include the link between communication difficulties and their impact on mental health. I enjoy learning new approaches and developing my practice and skillset to better support positive changes for children and adults.
I enjoy providing a mixture of direct and indirect Speech and Language Therapy services for our students with a range of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). I am also a fully qualified dysphagia practitioner, offering specialist support in this area to settings across the organisation.
Since graduating as a Speech and Language Therapist, I have worked with children and young adults with speech and language needs in a variety of mainstream and special education settings and in neuro rehabilitation settings with children and adults with acquired brain injuries.
My special interests include neurodevelopmental conditions, e.g. ADHD and Tourette’s Syndrome, Alterative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Selective Mutism.
Prior to starting with Phoenix Learning and Care Group I worked in a variety of health & social care settings, including on a variety of acute wards. I joined Oakwood Specialist College, Dawlish as a Learning Support Assistant in September 2017.
After a year of supporting with therapy sessions, I joined the Integrated Therapies Team as the SLT Assistant.
I have special interests in Autism Spectrum Conditions and Relationships and Sex Education. In 2021 Kate and I were extremely proud to receive the Sex Education Forum’s, Educator of the Year for Innovation Award.
I am a neurodivergent Speech and Language Therapist. I have worked for over 7 years with children and young people with complex needs, including hearing loss, learning disabilities, attachment and trauma, and speech, language, and communication needs. Prior to becoming a Speech and Language Therapist, I worked as an assistant at a preschool for Deaf children, and as a team lead running respite programs for disabled children and teenagers.
I am passionate about taking a holistic, intersectional approach to all areas of care, framed within a neurodiversity-affirming lens. I believe that everyone should have access to communication in whatever form is most comfortable to them and be in an environment that honours and supports that communication style.
My special interests include mental health, trauma and attachment, particularly the impact of systemic ableism on neurodivergent development and social, emotional, and mental health and wellbeing. Other interests include augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and multi-sensory impairments.
I have over 10 years’ experience working with children, young people and adults with a range of communication strengths and needs in a range of education and care settings.
I have a passion for person-centred care, and I feel working in a supportive multi-disciplinary team enables the best outcomes for vulnerable individuals.
My special interests include Autism Spectrum Conditions, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs and Selective Mutism.
As communication is a basic human right, I believe every child, young person and adult should have a voice and I thrive to support those individuals to reach their full communication potential.
We are delighted to be able to introduce Phoenix Learning and Care Group within this overview document.
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Starting as a qualified Teacher working in a specialist school for those with profound and complex needs Darren joined Ludlow Healthcare Group and was instrumental in developing Wales’ first residential specialist college for those with Autistic spectrum conditions and behaviours that challenge.
Promoted to Ludlow Orbis Group Principal Darren held responsibility for two residential schools and a residential college. Darren was invited to take up the newly created position as Director for Educational Services taking the lead for all aspects of the educational services, including formal education, residential care and the day-to-day operations of clinical services. Prior to joining Phoenix Darren worked at the Cambian Group latterly as a College Principal spearheading a turnaround change programme.
Degree qualified in Autism, Darren raised awareness of specialist education amongst professionals and the general public. Presented with the Gold Wales Care Awards for ‘Promoting Services for Children and Young People’ in addition to the ‘Spirit of Care Award’, which is a prestigious award for the recognition of ‘Inspirational Leadership’.
Tom joined Phoenix in 2017 having focused his career within health and social care.
As Chief Operating Officer, Tom is responsible for leading organisational change and governance across the Group overseeing our Schools, Further Education, Children’s Homes, and Adult Services divisions as well as our central Quality, Therapies and People Services teams.
Having started his career as a Support Worker and Teaching Assistant, Tom moved into projects and development before taking on operational responsibility for a portfolio of 10 settings across South Wales for Shaw healthcare (one of the UK’s largest healthcare operators). Tom was then appointed as the national Director for Shaw’s Community Living business unit providing supported living, residential/nursing, homeless shelters, extra care, and home care services across England, Wales, and Scotland.
Tom holds a BSc (Hons) Economics and MSc Statistics and Management Science. Outside of Phoenix, he enjoys rugby, squash, and mountain biking along with travel and cooking.
Phoenix operate a broad portfolio of Children’s homes providing 52 week residential care for children and young people unable to live at home and for whom a foster family is currently unsuitable or an aspiration.
Our homes range in configuration including single occupancy, 2 bed, 3 bed and 4 bed services that are located across the South West of England and South Wales in both rural and urban environments. All our homes work to give individuals the chance to flourish with the key outcome of being to assist the child or young person with the crisis or issues currently faced whilst simultaneously helping them develop the skills and abilities they would need to move on either back to their parents, into foster care or into independent living.
All homes are supported with a therapeutic model and specific services have direct 1-1 bespoke therapy program linked to need.
Phoenix offer short term crisis stabilisation services for young people who have experienced significant placement disruption and maybe presenting high risk behaviours. During the 12 week maximum stay there is strong emphasis on creating structure and developing strategies for young people to cope towards moving to foster placement or into a registered children’s home.
The Phoenix HEART Awards is our annual event to recognise and honour the remarkable achievements of our Team Members in bringing our values of
Nurture – Flourish – Grow to life.
The prestigious 2024 event, now in its 7th successful year, acknowledges the outstanding contribution of both individuals and teams across Phoenix for their commitment to creating exceptional experiences for those we support.
Phoenix welcomes enquiries for placements in any of our services.
Please call us on 0333 015 0 331 or email referrals@plcl.org.uk
We will provide an initial response to all enquiries as soon as possible, advising the options available and indicative dates of admission.
The referrals team can discuss the local offer and where appropriate, put you in contact with the respective Registered Manager or Head Teacher to discuss the practical areas in greater detail.
The Young Person and/or Student are openly encouraged to visit along with parents, guardians or Social Workers to see if the placement is suitable.
Once the placement is confirmed, we work to ensure a smooth transition including the completion of required documentation.
• 24 hour counselling for you and your family
• You pay 5%, Phoenix matches 3%
• Optional salary sacrifice
• Wide range of high street & supermarket discounts
• Holidays deals or discounts
• Discount on family days out including theme parks
• 2x annual salary paid to upon the event of your death
• 1x annual salary paid up front upon diagnosis
• Dental – Accidental and injury
• Optical
• Diagnosis test and scans including CT, MRI and PET
• Complementary Therapies
• Alternative therapies including Reflexology, Reiki, Indian head massage, allergy testing
