Meet Susan Darker-Smith

Susan Darker-Smith is the clinical director of the Child Trauma Therapy Centre. She has co-written 3 chapters in the field of EMDR (Oxford Handbook & Springer) as well as having presented nationally and internationally at conferences and delivering child trainings for countries from Ireland to Lebanon.

She has over 20 years experience in providing clinical supervision to NHS Trusts, Organisations and Individuals alongside providing therapy for Children, Adolescents, Adults and Families.

Susan is a Europe Accredited Senior EMDR Child & Adolescent Accredited Trainer and believes passionately in making all trainings accessible to all.  This involves all trainings being inclusive of attendees with neurodiversity (such as Autism or ADHD), learning difference (such as Dyslexia), learning styles (such as visual or kinesthetic learning styles), physiological challenges (such as hearing impairment or physical mobility issues) or life challenges (such as economic or geographical constraints, being a carer for family members or a single parent).

Susan is actively involved in several charities including being

• Founding Member of the Global Child-EMDR Alliance (Registered Charity)
• Founding Trustee for the Trauma Response Network UK (Registered Charity)
• Director of CHILD Non-Profit (Child Humanitarian Intervention Learning & Development)

Susan believes that one therapist can make a difference : but an EMDR community can create miracles… 

Meet our Training Facilitator, Beverley Finnigan

Beverley Finnigan is a Europe Accredited Child & Adolescent Consultant who facilitates on our trainings and provides supervision.  Beverley’s expertise includes

• EMDR
• Transactional Analysis 
• Neurofeedback
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health

Together, Beverley and Susan wrote and illustrated a free book for the Global Child EMDR Alliance to support children, following the Turkish earthquakes in 2023. 

Meet our Admin Team

Marie Atkinson is our admin person who alongside our accountant, Duncan, ensures invoices are raised, training materials sent out and queries answered.  

She is a multi-juggling genius who has an interest in mental health and is currently studying to be a counsellor.  

Duncan Philip-Tate is our accountant who is a genius with figures and with explaining them to non-mathematical people (namely, Susan!)   He is like a ship which sails steady, regardless of the chaos of end of year taxes!

If you have any queries, it is likely you will speak to one of these lovely people.