Who we are

Team

Without the talents and knowledge of our staff, West London Action for Children would not be able to uphold the great reputation it has around the 2 boroughs in which we work.

Our Professional Staff are trained to the highest standard but still retain sincerity and a belief in the people they are helping.

Likewise, the Support Staff in Fundraising and Administration are dedicated to moving the Charity onwards and upwards.

HEATHER BOXER ~ Chief Executive

Heather’s involvement with West London Action for Children has spanned nearly a quarter of a century. She is without doubt West London Action for Children’s most dedicated follower. In November 2005, Heather swapped her part-time fundraiser title for that of Chief Executive. Though she will continue to work predominantly raising funds, she is now also responsible for the daily management of the charity. With her tireless energy and dedication, Heather has high hopes for the charity this year.

CECILIA DESMOND ~ Administrator
BA (Hons)

Cecilia joined the team in January 2009. After returning from 6 months in Sydney where she worked at the large charitable event, World Youth Day, she decided to return to London and seek employment with a charity having found this to be the most rewarding and challenging of all the job sectors she has experienced thus far. Thrilled at being lucky enough to join such a great team and an amazing charity she hopes to keep providing the wonderful support and back up as the previous administrator.

JENNIFER ALLEN ~ Therapist
MA; Dip.Soc.Admin; Dip.Soc.Studies; CQSW

Jennifer is a qualified social worker and accredited practice teacher, with many years’ experience in a variety of settings in the statutory and voluntary sectors. She has developed and run many groups and has a rich experience of work with individuals and families. She has a special interest in the particular challenges faced today by parents of teenagers.

EMMA FLANAGAN ~ Therapist
BA; MSc; DipSW

Emma is a qualified integrative psychotherapist and social worker. She has worked in children and families Social Services and as a school counselor working with teenagers. She also has run her own psychotherapy practice for many years. At West London Action for Children, Emma runs parenting groups and offers counseling and therapy to individuals, children and families.

SALLY FLEET ~ Group Facilitator
RGN; HV

Sally joined the West London Action for Children team in September 2010 as a facilitator for the ParenTalk group for parents of infant/primary aged children.  Sally is a qualified Health Visitor who has a special interest in working with parents from the earliest stages of parenthood.  She has completed a training in solution focused brief therapy and uses this approach in her parenting groups.

JULIA HUTCHINSON ~ Therapist and Lead Practitioner
CPsychol; MBACP (Accred); BA; MSc; Grad.Dip (FT)

Julia is a chartered counselling psychologist. She trained in the UK, Ireland and Australia where she practised in education and health settings. Julia has also taught and trained professionals in counselling psychology and responses to trauma, abuse, suicide and self harm. She enjoys working collaboratively with individuals of all ages, families and groups to enable them to make the changes they want in their lives.

MAY LENE KARLSEN ~ Registered Counselling Psychologist
DCounsPsych

May is originally from Norway but has lived in the UK for the past 8 years. She spent several years living and travelling in Asia and Africa and has a personal and professional interest in multiculturalism, religion and spirituality. As a counselling psychologist May believes that every person has within them the capacity to transform their lives and become who they want to be. In facilitating this process through therapy she would draw on a range of therapeutic approaches and often encourage imaginative and creative means of expression. At West London Action for Children May enjoys working with children and their families either individually or in groups.

KAREN MEECHAN ~ Chartered Clinical Psychologist
DCIinPsych, Diploma in Psychology (Hons)

Karen trained at the University of East London and believes in the importance of thinking about people in terms of their social context and considering how people’s spiritual and cultural meaning making systems help them to make sense of the difficulties. Karen has worked in a range of settings, with both children and adults, individually and in groups. At West London Action for Children, Karen enjoys working with children and families and helping them develop a sense of themselves and their families as resourceful and resilient.  

TANYA NIELSON ~ Therapist
Dip.Integrative Psychosynthesis Counselling; MBACP (Accred); PGC.Therapeutic Work with Children; BA; Dip. SW

Tanya aims to provide a safe counselling relationship, in which the diverse concerns of each client can be explored. Integrative Psychosynthesis values the diversity of the human experience in its pleasure, depth and troubles. It offers a flexible and creative counselling approach, supporting us to tap into our own inner wisdom and resources. Through the use of metaphor, active imagination, or art or sand tray this can support us to discover new insights about ourselves. Working in this way help us to begin to notice what might lie beneath the surface of our conscious awareness and allows new possibilities to be born.

NICOLE POTULSKI
BSc; MSc; PhD

Nicole re-joined the team in 2008 to help out with fundraising. She comments how encouraging it is to find that West London Action for Children has developed greatly professionally and financially since she last worked with the charity in 2003. With a varied background ranging from academia to the consumer industry, fundraising for charities to managing a household of boys she is keen to help West London Action for Children become even stronger financially and to secure its future growth.

VERONICA PRETELT ~ Therapist

MBACP (Accred)

Veronica is a qualified counselling psychologist. She trained both in Colombia, her country of origin, and in the USA. In the States, she had the opportunity to work with people from a wide range of cultures, which fulfilled her interest in understanding cultural diversity. At West London Action for Children, she enjoys working in individual and group settings with children, adolescents and adults.

GAIL SINITSKY ~ Registered Counselling Psychologist
BSc (Hons); PsychD

Gail works within an integrative therapeutic framework, drawing on psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural and systemic theories. She has worked with children, adolescents and families, as well as with adults with mental health and physical health difficulties. Gail aims to provide a therapeutic space in which clients are able to develop an understanding of themselves and their difficulties, with a focus on exploring clients’ strengths and cultural contexts. She has a special interest in working with schools, and enjoys facilitating therapy groups and working alongside teaching staff to promote the mental health of children and young people.