Dr. Sheila Redfern

In-person sessions and Reflective Parenting in South West London & Online

I’m Dr. Sheila Redfern, a consultant clinical child and adolescent psychologist with over 30 years’ experience supporting children, young people, and families. I’m the author of Reflective Parenting and How Do You Hug a Cactus? and have developed the Reflective Parenting model, training professionals and delivering interventions that strengthen parent–child relationships.


I previously worked in the NHS as a consultant in CAMHS services and developed specialist expertise in autism, attachment, fostering, and adoption. Alongside my private practice, I’m Head of Family Trauma at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, a leading children’s mental health charity.

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Helping people reach their full potential

As a clinical psychologist with extensive experience treating a wide range of psychological difficulties in children and young people, I am committed to helping each individual reach their full potential by improving their emotional and behavioural wellbeing. While I do this through direct therapeutic work, I also strongly believe in the vital role parents and carers play in supporting their child’s development, as they are often the main agents of change. For this reason, my approach focuses not only on the child or young person, but also on equipping parents and carers with the tools they need to sustain their child’s mental health.

FAQ

What I Do

I am highly experienced in the assessment and treatment of attachment disorders and in promoting reflective parenting. National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) evidenced treatments are used including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) and

Video Interaction Guidance (VIG).

I provide both specialist psychological assessment and evidence-based treatments for a wide range of difficulties in children and adolescents aged 0-18, and their parents and/or carers including:

Depression / Low mood

Family/relationship difficulties

Social anxiety

Panic attacks & panic disorder

Agoraphobia

Specific Phobias

Health Anxiety

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress

Peer relationship difficulties

Parent-infant attachment difficulties

Generalised anxiety

Examination / college or school stress

Low self-esteem

Parenting difficulties

Emerging personality disorder

Assessment of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Cognitive assessments

Support to foster carers and adoptive parents

Unsure whether I can help you? Simply drop me an email or call and leave a message. I may get back to you quicker by email due to the high volume of calls I receive.

How Do You Hug a Cactus?

A new book for parents of teenagers - out now.

My new book "How Do You Hug a Cactus?" is an invaluable tool for parents with teenagers and young adults. In it's first week, it reached No. 1 in books for parents and psychology books on adolescents on Amazon.

Reflective Parenting

A Guide to Understanding What's Going on in Your Child's Mind

How to make a positive impact on your relationship with your child, starting from the development of the baby’s first relationship with you as parents, to how you can be more reflective in relationships with toddlers,

children and young people.

Consultation & Supervision

I provide consultation to teams and individual professionals working in the field of child mental health, education and social care. I am qualified to supervisor level in Reflective Parenting, Reflective Fostering consultation and in Mentalization Based Treatment for Adolescents (MBTA). Practitioners in these fields wishing to receive accredited supervision are welcome to get in touch.

Learn more:

“Sheila's amazing insight and grasp of the human psyche, her calm manner and her grounding presence are helping me to finally get to grips with the anxiety which controls me when I am in close relationships. It's been amazing to learn how the difficulties I first thought were unique to my son, were actually borne out of my own anxiety and that by working with Sheila I am not only helping my son but also my own relationship, particularly with my partner.”

- Parent of 9 year old

“Very good training. Relaxed but informative, plenty of experiential learning and time for discussion. I left feeling I learned a great deal, which I am keen to put into practice.”

- Training Pupil

“As an adoptive parent, I don’t know what I would do without Sheila’s support. There are days when it all seems too overwhelming, then I have my session and I feel recharged and ready to face the day.”

- Therapy Patient

“Sheila’s diagnosis of our son has helped us to get the kind of understanding and, hopefully, future support we’ve been wanting for years. Finally, we have an explanation of why he sees the world the way he does. Also, we realized it’s not just us! Just having this understanding has already changed how we are with each other as a family, for the better.”

- Parent of a teenager with ASD

Get in touch

Feel free to email me with any questions or to arrange an initial assessment. This will help us explore your reasons for seeking therapy, whether it may be helpful, and if I am the right therapist for you.

Please also use this contact form to register for Reflective Parenting Training.

Alternatively, you can leave me a message on 07774 222241, but I may respond quicker via email due to the high volume of calls I receive. Unfortunately I am unable to offer a consultation over the phone prior to our first meeting (which may be in person or on-line). I aim to answer all enquiries within 24 hours. All contact is strictly confidential and uses secure email services.

©2025 Sheila Redfern