CASE MANAGEMENT OFFICER –
Julie along with AoC’s Chief Executive Christian Dixon work together to provide an array of training, therapy, counselling and contact for those accessing services. She has also worked with families in Europe and UK showing the amazing value and effect that therapeutic interventions can have.
Julie is married and has three grown up daughters. She also lives on a working farm in Devon where she is able to use the outdoor space as a therapeutic and teaching platform for both her therapeutic work. Julie has used her own experiences as a young mother, single parent and guardian to inform the work she now undertakes as a Play and Creative Arts therapist, Educator and trainer. She has also had the privilege to have been taught by some highly acclaimed tutors and educationalists such as Professor and writer Dr. Elizabeth Wood, Educationalist and author Dr Janet Rose, and dramatherapists Dr. Sue Jennings and tutor and author Dianne Gammage.
Julie became interested in therapeutic play whilst senior lead for a large children’s nursery school. It was through her continued research and observation of early relationships between parents, carers and their children, that Julie realised that there was a need to develop systems within the setting; where children and parents, carers were able to access therapeutic support and where
staff were able to learn aspects of attachment in play and drama and neuro science when supporting children in their care.
Julie undertook her therapeutic training with Canterbury University. Julie also has a great love of animals and the outdoors, and the benefits to the body and mind when accessing the outdoors. She is keen to ensure that those accessing training understand and pursue the importance of using outdoors to connect the body and mind and build inner strength using the therapeutic modalities of art, play and drama. With her living on a working farm there is always much to do and with animals to look after she is surrounded by the natural elements of the earth, animal and human living and working in self- fulfilment and relationship.
Amongst Julie’s work is supporting clients whose relationships have broken down, and where access to their children needs supervision in rebuilding parental nurturing and attachment. She has also widely worked with foster and adopted families in providing family based therapeutic guidance.