Meet Dr Liz
Meet Dr Liz
I specialise in delivering SSP online to those with complex trauma and chronic illness, providing sensitive and intuitive support tailored for each individual so they can benefit from the best possible outcomes.
My 1:1 work with clients means so much to me. I value each client, and truly appreciate the courage and strength needed for them to reach this point in their life with their own unique set of circumstances.
Drawing on the considerable challenges I have faced in my own life, it is an honour to have the opportunity to work together in this way to build a sense of trust and connection. It is deeply inspiring and a real privilege to witness the changes experienced by clients and the impact of their inner healing and transformation.
About Dr Liz
As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by how the human body and brain work. I wrote on my application to medical school that I wanted to ‘alleviate suffering’. These underlying themes still motivate and inspire me! My interest is now focused on the impact that trauma and chronic illness can have on our overall health and wellbeing, and I continue to explore different ways to effectively facilitate healing.
I feel privileged to have the opportunity to support others, using all I have learned from my many and varied experiences, together with my training and clinical practice as a medical doctor. I have a special interest in neuroscience relating to social and emotional well-being. I enjoy integrating this knowledge with my medical experience to deliver SSP in a way that is tailored specifically for each client.
Like many of my clients, I have a lived experience of the far-reaching and devastating impact of complex trauma. I have also been extremely fortunate to have had extraordinary therapists (body and talking modalities) who have supported me in my long journey of healing.
I have two adult daughters and live near the coast in Southwest England. I enjoy walking on the beaches and exploring the coastline with my dog, Tilly – a wonderful form of self-care!
Background - Qualified Medical Doctor
After my training and graduation as a medical doctor at St. Thomas’ Hospital, University of London, I continued my training and worked as a medical partner in General Practice in Southwest England.
Learning about Polyvagal theory and having Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) were transformative experiences for me. I have an ongoing interest in neuroscience relating to the body-brain connection, and the impact of trauma on our physical, mental, and emotional health. I continue to explore the developments in this fascinating area of research.
I am an experienced SSP provider, having been an early adopter of SSP, delivering to clients in person and online since 2018. I draw on my professional experience as a medical doctor, my own lived experience of trauma, and my witnessing of the far-reaching impact of complex trauma and transformation experienced through SSP.
My Qualifications
MB BS (University of London)
Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery
MRCGP
Member of Royal College of General Practitioners
DRCOG
Diploma of Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
My Journey with Polyvagal theory, SSP & Sensitive Approach
Discovering SSP
In 2016 I first read about the work of Dr Stephen Porges, a leading neuroscientist in the USA. Porges’ Polyvagal theory deeply resonated with me as it described how we react to our different environments with social engagement, fight, flight or shutdown responses. It was a relief to finally start to make sense of the wide-reaching effects that trauma can have on our brains and bodies that I have experienced personally and also witnessed in many others.
When I attended a Masterclass by Dr Porges in London in 2017, I was excited to hear him talk about a new Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) intervention that he had created and was soon to be released commercially. I eagerly completed the SSP training programme through iLs and was one of the first SSP providers in the UK.
I attended the first ever SSP Gathering in Florida, USA in April 2019, and later that year Dr Porges asked me to work with Karen Onderko at iLs to provide new training material (manual and video) for SSP providers, which incorporated my experience delivering SSP, including to clients with complex trauma, and my understanding of the relevant supporting neuroscience.
Since then, I have continued to contribute to material to support effective delivery of SSP around the world, which has included the remote delivery training webinar and guidelines for Unyte-iLs and regular Q&As, while also offering professional guidance and SSP delivery in my private practice.
I had the privilege to be invited to share my pioneering SSP work with Parkinson’s Disease at the first ever Polyvagal Institute Summit in November 2021. The 20-minute video presentation ‘Story of Change: Creative Connection in the Time of COVID’ included Dr Porges sharing his insights about this work. I was also invited to speak about my SSP work on the SSP Podcast with Joanne McIntyre in Australia that year.
I continue to develop ways to incorporate this learning and experience and have developed a clinical model, Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core™ , that I use in my 1:1 clinical work delivering SSP online to clients with complex trauma and chronic illness such as Parkinson’s disease and Long COVID.
Publications, Contributions & Collaborations
Safe & Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change, & Healing by Stephen Porges & Karen Onderko
The Traumatised Brain by Ruth Lanius
Alexander Technique AmSAT Journal July 2024
Safe & Sound Protocol Podcast in Australia with Joanne McIntyre
Sharing the impact of SSP at PVI's Annual Conference, 2021
Supporting Research
Parkinson's Disease
Ongoing exploration into the impact of SSP on the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Unique Style of Working
I have developed my Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core™ , combining learning and insights from my many and varied personal and professional experiences.
It as an integral part of all my client work, providing sensitive and intuitive support tailored for each individual so they can benefit from the best possible outcomes.
It is a true privilege to now share Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core™ at the with other therapists around the world in my online training and mentoring work.
Sharing my Work
I am excited share my Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core™, a combination of my professional experience as a medical doctor, my keen interest in neuroscience, and personal experience of the far-reaching impact of complex trauma.
It is suitable to integrate with all therapeutic modalities and populations.
Sharing this around the world with fellow SSP providers is a wonderful opportunity achieved through online 1:1 mentoring session, recorded modules, and group training and workshops.
You can find out more about my work by clicking the button below.