I know how overwhelming this can feel because I’ve lived it too.

Not in a vague “I understand” kind of way, but in the heart-racing, walking-on-eggshells, what is happening to our family? kind of way.

My son came with huge emotions and behaviours that often felt impossible to manage. The kind that stop you in your tracks and leave you questioning everything.

He has diagnoses, and while those labels helped in some ways, they never explained what was really happening or how I could help. They didn’t explain the biology driving the behaviour. They didn’t explain why his stress responses were so intense, so consuming, or why everyday life felt so much harder for him than it seemed to for other children.

And they didn’t explain why I was trying so hard to hold everything together while quietly struggling myself.

I’ve lived through school refusal, explosive outbursts, shutdowns, OCD, sensory sensitivities, and the relentless exhaustion that comes from caring for a child whose nervous system is constantly in survival mode.

I know the tension that fills the house before things escalate. The anticipation. The careful stepping around triggers. The dread of the school run. The sadness of watching family life become something very different from what I imagined it would be.

Like so many parents, I searched everywhere for answers.

I explored private therapy, neurological assessments, holistic therapies, coaching, and countless appointments and interventions. I read endlessly, invested heavily, and kept hoping someone would finally help everything make sense.

Some approaches helped temporarily. But nothing created lasting change.

What transformed things for us was discovering the Attachment-Based Developmental Approach .

For the first time, I began to truly understand behaviour through the lens of development, relationships and the nervous system. Instead of seeing a “difficult” child, I could see a child struggling beneath the surface — and that changed everything.

It transformed how I supported my son, and how I understood myself as a parent too.

This is now the work I share with families.

I’m a specialist with more than 30 years of experience supporting children and parents. I have worked as a Speech and Language Therapist within the NHS, schools, and later in private practice. I have trained in attachment theory through the Neufeld Institute and I am also an Advanced Practitioner in Collaborative and Proactive Solutions. My work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, featured on national radio, and recognised through awards including the Welsh Woman of the Year Award.

But the heart of what I offer comes not only from professional training, but from lived experience — from navigating these challenges within my own family, day by day. I created Connected Parenting UK because I couldn’t find the kind of support I truly needed when I was in the middle of it all. So I built the resource I wish I’d had.

My goal is to help parents feel less alone, better informed, and more confident, while bringing greater calm, connection, and cooperation into family life.

I offer support and guidance through my ONLINE service, so I can work with you wherever you live, during the day or in the evenings. I also offer FACE TO FACE sessions in my clinic, based in South Devon and initial HOME VISITS within the local area.

I work with parents of children & teenagers who do not have a diagnosis & those who have a range of diagnoses such as:

Autism, ADHD, PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), Conduct Disorder, Separation Anxiety, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia

I will work directly with you (and not your child or teenager). You are the expert on your child and it is you who can provide the conditions which will ensure your child or teens thrives.

If you are ready to find a new way to parent, one which works and feels intuitively right and you want to be supported on this journey, I’d love to help. Simply book a free online consultation with me to find out more