Jo Culver - Profile

My name is Jo and I am a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist, often referred to as a Family Therapist. This means that I work with families, couples and individuals.

Family Therapy considers that people do not live in isolation. It is concerned with thinking about family and wider relationships, both past and present, and how we communicate.

Family Therapy is effective for working with children, young people and adults where there are emotional, behavioural, mental health and physical health issues. It has an impressive evidence base for both child and adult focussed issues.  Family Therapy can also manage the complexities of our modern day lives where there can be more than one issue.

Family Therapy is an approach where I would wish to work collaboratively with your family. By having conversations and using techniques, each family member’s perspective is obtained. I also consider your strengths as a family, and together we generate ideas that can be helpful in creating changes with the worries you are experiencing.

My professional background is within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, (CAMHS), both within Surrey and Hampshire, where I had worked for twenty years. I am now a Senior Lecturer at the University of Surrey within the Psychology department and teach Systemic practice to clinical psychology trainees.

Before completing my Family Therapy training, I was a CAMHS Social Worker where I worked systemically with families, often having complex backgrounds with safeguarding and mental health issues within the family.

I currently work with families or couples where a family member, either their child / young person or a grown-up experiencing mental health issues. These include issues such as Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Self-harming behaviour, Eating issues, Trauma, Gender dysphoria, and Attachment. I also work with families where there is Neurodivergence, such as Autistic Spectrum Condition and Attentional issues. Similarly, I work with families and couples where there are issues within the relationships and/or communication.

I have completed level one and two in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy; often referred to as DDP; and practice with these principles in mind. This is an intervention useful with attachment issues and developmental trauma. I have recently completed Attachment Narrative Therapy training, an intervention that complements DDP, and is helpful with complex family relationships, both present and in the past.

My work includes meeting with all family members, parent sessions, sibling sessions and individual sessions.  I also have experience in working with couples outside of CAMHS where one or both partners have mental health issues.

I have an enhanced DBS check and can work with children of all ages.

I am up to date with all Mandatory training that the NHS recommends.

I am registered with the following Health Insurance companies:

Vitality Health

AXA Health

WPA

If you think that a systemic approach would fit with how you wish to think about the worries you are experiencing within your family, then please do get in touch.