Psychology Team

Director of Psychology – Jess Thompson,   BSc(Hons) Psychology, Dip counselling, PGCE, Dip.Clin.Hyp.NLP.Coach.EFT

Jess fell ill with ME as a teacher and mother of two young boys and the illness had a major effect on all aspects of her life. After getting her life back through coming to OHC as a patient, and through her own journey of healing, Jess made the decision to embark on a counselling career. Having worked as a counsellor in both a hospice setting and as an independent practitioner, working with a wide range of issues including depression, anxiety, phobias, bereavement and stress, Jess also went on to train on the OHC practitioner training course. In addition to her professional qualifications, Jess brings a wealth of experience from her own healing journey, and immensely enjoys supporting others in finding their own answers and assisting them on their journey to a better life.


Denise StillieDenise Stillie, Dip Integrated Energy Techniques, TRE provider, NLP , Eriksonian Hypnosis, EFT Advanced Practitioner

Originally from Scotland Denise worked as a music journalist before becoming a web developer for The Guardian newspaper. Denise developed ME/CFS as a teenager and explored many treatments that only marginally helped her. Ultimately she discovered IET a blend of EFT, NLP & Eriksonian Hypnotic Language patterns. It was the combination of these techniques that enabled her to make a full recovery. She went on to train in Integrated Energy Techniques and works with clients issue including trauma, abuse, depression, anxiety, mental health issue, fertility & co ran an EFT cancer group at West Middlesex Hospital. Denise is sensitive and sympathetic & offers a realistic approach to what can be a difficult & complex condition. She is Trauma Release Exercises Provider after finding it an invaluable addition to her healing tool kit.


Sam Jones, PhD Development Studies, BSc Environmental Science, Dip Clin. Hyp. NLP. Coach. EFT, HPD

Sam has had an interest in health, healing modalities and therapeutic practices since her 20s, and trained in a number of them (breathwork, shiatsu, chi gung, regression therapy, therapeutic dance) alongside her career as a lecturer in Environment and Development. When she became ill with chronic fatigue in 2016, she intuitively knew that stress played an important role in her condition. Disillusioned with the approach offered by the medical profession, she went in search of answers. Emerging ideas on nervous system dysregulation helped her piece together a picture of why and how she had become ill, and when she came across Alex’s book and the work of the OHC, she found the sense of hope she had been looking for. Sam decided to undertake the OHC’s Therapeutic Coaching professional training. The tools and practices she learned on the course undoubtedly further aided her recovery. Sam returned to her full-time academic career for a while before finally taking the path that she now feels much more aligned with – supporting people in recovering their health, wellbeing and quality of life.


 

Naomi Dake, BA (Hons), PG Dip (HRM), Qualified Life Coach

Having spent most of her career to date in the corporate arena in the private, public and charity sectors, where she worked in HR, Change and Organisation Development, later setting up her own Coaching business part-time, Naomi was diagnosed with CFS in 2018. This was when she began looking for her own answers on how to get well and discovered the OHC, where she found a real turning point in her life. Going through the OHC Psychology and Nutrition programmes as a patient really transformed Naomi’s perspective on what it was to live in a sustainably healthy and happy way and also in how she better understood herself too. Naomi had always loved Psychology and developing people and it felt a natural step to go on to undertake the  Therapeutic Coaching Practitioners programme, which has further deepened her own insight and healing. She is delighted to now be part of the OHC team that has been so instrumental in her own recovery and development and to be able to help and support other people in their own journeys. Naomi lives in Cheshire with her husband and many adopted animals.


Lee Harbour, BA (Hons), MA Critical Theory and Culture

Lee became interested in psychology following his own journey in recovering from ME, he crashed in 2016 preceded by years of chronic headaches and a growing frustration about his health. Despite having never meditated he quickly found that a daily meditation practice offered help with his often scary and varied symptoms. Once he realised what was going on for him with a diagnosis of ME it soon emerged that psychology, with a particular focus on emotions was going to play a pivotal role in his recovery.

He has a keen interest in philosophy and reading a wide range of literature, fuelled by a fascination in human expression and people’s inner worlds. Although having read extensively about emotions Lee felt he did not have the right tools to help him improve the relationship he had with his own. Part way through his recovery Lee decided to join the Therapeutic Coaching practitioner training where he was introduced to a range of tools which allowed his two passions of people and philosophy to wed, offering a personal participation whilst having the privilege of helping others. His previous career was in accountancy, which never felt aligned but with no obvious alternative it seemed a sensible path to follow, it was through getting unwell that Lee feels he has now found a career that feels fulfilling and is an expression of everything he is passionate about. Lee is keen to continue his learning and has a strong passion for Neurodiversity and the authentic self.


Nicky Cooke, MA(Hons), Dip.Clin.Hyp.NLP.Coach.

Nicky was first diagnosed with ME in 2008 following a viral illness, she was able to recover and return to work as an external auditor in one of the large professional services firms. However 5 years later, the old behaviour patterns had returned and Nicky once again fell ill with ME. It was at this time Nicky found the OHC, which helped her understand the underlying causes of her condition through working with both the nutrition and psychology teams. Having seen the importance of the mind, body, spirt connection through her own health journey, this created a passion in Nicky and led her to join the OHC following completion of the Therapeutic Coaching course. Having had the opportunity to move into a people leadership and transformation role with her old employer, it took a few more years for Nicky to make the decision to become a full time practitioner. After sharing her passion for wellbeing with her teams for a number of years, Nicky is now excited to share her knowledge and experience with clients at the clinic, by supporting them to find their own answers as part of their own health journey.