Dr. Catherine Binney, Principal Clinical Psychologist and Director, Halcyon CIC

Dr. Catherine J. Binney, BSc Hons, DClinPsy, CPsychol.,

Certified Professional Practitioner for Animal Assisted Play Therapy®   

Clinical Psychologist​

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Catherine worked for the NHS providing psychological assessment and therapy to children, young people and families for over 20 years. She has worked in a variety of settings including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), SureStart, child development centres and paediatrics (working with community and hospital-based medical teams providing care to children and young people with chronic and long term health conditions such as diabetes and in palliative care). As well as working directly with families, Catherine has worked as a team leader and senior manager and provided consultation, training and supervision to staff.  She presents at conferences and delivers training and mentorship internationally. Catherine is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and is a Board Member for the International Association for Animal Assisted Play Therapy ® (IAAAPT).  She also holds an enhanced DBS check.   Catherine has appointments available on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday afternoons, Thursdays and occasionally Saturday mornings.

 

Main therapeutic models:   Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, systemic therapy, Animal Assisted Therapy.  

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Areas of interest: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety, chronic health conditions, paediatrics, low mood, self esteem, phobias, bereavement, emotional regulation, Autistic Spectrum Conditions/Disorders (ASD), animal assisted therapy (psychology).

 

Clinical Psychology Qualifications

2004 - Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford

1999 - Psychology BSc (Hons) 1st Class, University of Manchester

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A selection of additional psychological therapy training undertaken including: 

ACT Intermediate Level, DNA-V and ACT for Adolescents  

CBT

DBT Skills Training Essentials (British Isles DBT Training) 

Systemic approaches to chronic illness (Tavistock)

Solution focused training

Motivational interviewing

EMDR Accredited training parts 1-3 and child specialised training with children and adolescents​

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Animal assisted therapy-related training and roles:

Catherine is a Certified Professional Practitioner for Animal Assisted Play Therapy®  with the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy. She also serves on the board of The International Association for Animal Assisted Play Therapy ® (IAAAPT)

Catherine is a clinical supervisor for the Masters in Animal Assisted Counselling and Psychotherapy at Hartpury University. 

Introduction to Animal assisted therapy 3 day course

International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy® - Level 1s and 2 - 8 days live theory and practice course. 

Selection of dogs for family life and therapy work with special attention to Animal Assisted Play Therapy

Canine Communication in Animal Assisted Play Therapy

Introduction to Animal Assisted Play Therapy

Essentials of Canine behaviour and training for AAPT

AAPT Ethics and Welfare 

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Animal associates

We have several animal associates!  Jofi, Kylie, Pepper and the late great Rango are pictured on this page.