Meet The Team
Meet the Parenting Apart Programme team, helping and supporting parents when they need it the most.

Claire Field
Managing Director

Kam Kaur
Senior Social Worker/Parenting Apart Consultant

Dr. Paul Walton
Clinical Psychologist / Systemic Family Therapist

Stephen Taylor
Parenting Apart Programme Practitioner

Becky Hanson
Psychotherapeutic Counsellor / Parenting Apart Practitioner

Licensed Practioners

Susie
Qualified and Registered Social Worker

Samantha
Coach, Consultant and Psychotherapist

Dr. Gabrielle Gregory
Forensic Psychologist

Ella Rafferty
Trainee Forensic Psychologist

Partner Organisations

Claire Field
Managing Director

Our Managing Director, Claire Field is an expert social care consultant, whose previous roles include Managing Director of Contact Care UK Ltd. Claire has extensive experience of delivering the Separated Parents Information Programme. Claire recognised the programme’s limitations, and from her extensive experience, identified how to address the gaps to significantly improve outcomes. The result is the Parenting Apart Programme, an early intervention that prevents long-term negative impacts for children’s emotional health and wellbeing when their parents separate or divorce. The programme is unique in the UK.

Kam Kaur
Senior Social Worker/Parenting Apart Consultant

Kam Kaur is an experienced Senior Social Worker with a demonstrated history of working in individual and families services over the last 20 years. Skilled in Case management, Risk Assessment, Crisis Intervention, Social Services, Public Sector, and Mental Health.

Kam has undertaken various therapeutic training, Brief Solution Focused with children, Systemic Practitioner Intermediate Level, Attachment and Narrative Therapy, Non-Violent Resistance and DDP Level 1.

Dr. Paul Walton
Clinical Psychologist / Systemic Family Therapist

Dr Paul Walton is a Clinical Psychologist and Systemic Family Therapist. Paul is the Parent Apart Programmer’s Training Lead and one of the programmes developers. His specialism is working with children and families, particularly children who have experienced developmental trauma. Paul has over 12 years’ experience working within the NHS and he now runs his own service Kaleidoscope Psychology and Psychotherapy whilst teaching part-time on the University of Hull, Clinical Psychology Doctorate.

Paul is passionate about the support the Parenting Apart Programme can offer to separating couples and the importance of using attachment theory, models of child development and systemic communication to achieve positive outcomes for children going through divorce.

Stephen Taylor
Parenting Apart Programme Practitioner

Stephen Taylor completed his degree in Health and Social care, working within the specific area of children and families. He works closely with Parenting Apart Programme for seven years.

With over thirty years’ experience working with families in crisis, the complex area of family dynamics are always unique, but can often include factors such as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic abuse and violence.

In the unfolding turmoil of family breakdown, parental alienation can occur, which can stem from one parent being unsupportive of the child’s relationship with the other parent, this can be observed particularly during stressful family court cases. Acknowledging that the child is often an unwilling and unheard participant during family breakdowns separations and divorce. The child’s voice provides a consistent narrative and thread, to encourage and facilitate effective change, with the overall aim to create a healthier parental relationship.

Becky Hanson
Psychotherapeutic Counsellor / Parenting Apart Practitioner

Becky Hanson is a BACP registered psychotherapeutic counsellor with over 20 years’ experience working with individuals and families across social care, education and health. She has worked closely with the Parenting Apart Programme for the past 15 years.
Through her private practice, Becky offers counselling and divorce coaching, supporting individuals through the emotional challenges of separation and divorce, as well as the transition towards life beyond it. She has a particular interest in the relationship between bereavement and the losses experienced through separation, recognising that the end of a relationship can bring profound feelings of grief, uncertainty and change.
Becky’s approach combines compassion, an understanding of family dynamics and a commitment to child-focused, ethical practice. She supports clients in making sense of their experiences, navigating the challenges of both the past and the present and finding a way forward that feels right for them and their families.
Outside of work, Becky enjoys walking with her golden retriever, Poppy.

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Susie Hawkes
Qualified and Registered Social Worker

Susie is a qualified and registered social worker. She qualified in 1999 and has consistently worked in children and families, primarily child protection including significant work within the family courts as a social worker and in various management positions. Susie is currently working as an academic, teaching and researching in social work alongside working as an independent social worker undertaking a range of assessments and interventions.

Susie is experienced in undertaking assessments including around risk and parenting. She Is experienced in working and assessing situations where there is risk and conflict. She works in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

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Samantha
Coach, Consultant and Psychotherapist

Samantha has over 20 years’ experience working with Parents and Families with Multiple and Complex Needs – with a background in social work – primarily in Child Protection. Samantha specialises in both Parenting and Preventive Support to families.
This includes working closely with other professionals and services to carry out social work and multi-disciplinary assessments where there are identified issues and risks or parental conflict or where there is a risk of a child being excluded from school or going into care.
Samantha currently works in Staff and Parent Education as well as Psychotherapy where she works in communities across London providing Education and Training to; Parents, staff and volunteers, while also providing Interventions, Coaching and Consultant Services.

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Dr. Gabrielle Gregory
Forensic Psychologist

Dr. Gabrielle Gregory is a highly respected forensic psychologist with over two decades of experience in psychological assessment and intervention. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology (ForenPsyD) from the University of Birmingham. Chartered with the British Psychological Society (BPS) since 2008, Dr. Gregory also holds a practice certificate and is an Associate Member of the BPS Faculty for Children, Young People, and their Families, as well as the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Special Interest Group for Child and Adolescents. Since 2010, Dr. Gregory has operated a successful private practice, conducting comprehensive psychological assessments across a broad spectrum of issues, including cognitive functioning, personality disorders, family dynamics, domestic violence, and attachment issues in both children and adults. She continues to provide detailed, evidence-based reports that are widely trusted in family and criminal proceedings. Dr Gregory is child-focused and is keen to improve outcomes for families and children engaged in entrenched conflict. Through her work in family court assessments, Dr Gregory has a keen awareness of the toll which family court proceedings can have upon both children and parents and is eager to work alongside parents through a strengths-based, attachment-focused commitment to the prioritisation of the mental health and emotional well-being of children impacted by parental separation and divorce. Dr Gregory is based in the West Midlands but also completes work remotely where a need arises.

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Ella Rafferty
Trainee Forensic Psychologist

Ella Rafferty is a Trainee Forensic Psychologist at GPS Ltd, having completed a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology and Counselling between 2021 and 2023 and is currently completing her PGD Practitioner Forensic Psychologist qualification. Ella is dedicated to providing compassionate and supportive therapeutic work, particularly when addressing the challenging and sensitive issues that bring people to therapy. Ella supports in the completion of psychological assessments of both adults and children, in regards to issues of risk, parenting, family dynamics and attachment issues. She also specialises in Theraplay® Informed Practice and aims to create a safe space where children and their caregivers can feel supported in enhancing their relationships while exploring new perspectives. Through a foundation of compassion, mutual respect, and commitment, Ella is committed to helping clients make sense of complex emotions and experiences, ultimately facilitating the creation of respectful parent working relationships in order to make positive differences for children. Ella is based in the West Midlands but also completes work remotely where a need arises.

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