Joanna Hemingway

Joanna completed her training as an integrative child psychotherapist at IATE and is in the process of obtaining UKCP registration. She has experience working with children, adolescents and parents.

The core of Joanna’s approach is to provide a consistent space in which the children, young people and parents she works with can explore and make sense of the things that they may be struggling with. In her work she takes a child-led approach, following the child and young person’s lead, observing and tracking the feelings, themes and patterns that emerge to get an understanding of the child and young person’s experience of themselves and their world and what the problem might be. Joanna is particularly interested in working with the unconscious and relational dynamics that may be affecting a child and young person’s behaviour and way of being. She also uses the arts, including sandtray, clay, paints, puppets and movement to help children and young people think and talk about what it is like to be them. Joanna’s focus through the therapeutic process is helping the child and young person find and develop new ways of thinking, acting and relating for themselves in order to be able to fulfil their potential. An important aspect of her work with children is working collaboratively with parents to help them support their child. Joanna also works with parents directly, providing a space in which they can think about challenges they may be having as parents.

Joanna draws on diverse theoretical and clinical influences in her work, including psychoanalytic, attachment-based and developmental approaches.

Prior to commencing her training, Joanna worked for five years as a child bereavement counsellor for a children's charity and two years as a child mentor. She comes to child and adolescent psychotherapy after a career as a lawyer.