Clinical Team
Please find below all members of the Living Well Clinical Team.
Patrick Kwesiga
Clinical Director
Patrick Kwesiga is the Clinical Director for Living Well Consortium.
He is a psychotherapist registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. He holds relevant qualifications, including a masters in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, a BA (Social Sciences), a Postgraduate in IAPT Leadership and Management of Health, and corporate leadership accreditation. He is also a qualified Talking Therapies supervisor and an accredited Well-being Facilitator.
Patrick has a depth of experience in community development, is a children mentor, community advocate, and health and well-being promoter.
He also specialises in writing and literary works, theatre director, acting and African drumming. He is author of Glad Made Mad a socio-cultural drama, and co-author of The Dancing Tree children’s stories.
Holly Beedon
Clinical Lead
Holly Beedon is a qualified Integrative Psychotherapist and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with over 13 years’ experience in the mental health sector.
At Living Well, Holly overseas all services ensuring the highest standard of clinical processes and structures. Holly is the go to person for all practitioners across the organisation for anything related to clinical practice. Holly sits in the weekly panel with FTB and works with course leads at various universities to aid the process of Talking Therapies training and qualifications for our staff.
In her spare time Holly enjoys making candles, homemade cleaning sprays and bath bombs. Holly loves walking in the woods with her staffie, Bruce Wayne (who she let her kids name) and also enjoys swimming and shadow boxing.
Awa Njie
Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Awa graduated with a degree in medical bioscience, and then went on to do a masters in public health.
She began her career with LWC as admin officer and progressed quickly to admin and operations manager. Awa wanted to utilise her qualifications and passion for wellbeing, and went on to complete the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner Course.
Awa says that she loves her current role and looks forward to exploring further opportunities for growth within LWC.
Awa loves cooking, working out at the gym and travelling. Fun fact: She shares a birthday with her son.
Jan Cowin
Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner & Trainee Champion
Jan is experienced working in talking therapies initially as a psychological wellbeing leading to her becoming a senior psychological wellbeing practitioner. Jan started her academic career having undertaken the Foundation Degree in Mental Health Science & then Health & Social Care Degree top up with Honours. Following this Jan undertook her Post Graduate Certificate in Low Intensity Psychological Interventions.
Jan joined the team in May 2024 where she is working as a Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner & Trainee champion. Jan works to support & develop the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners traineeship.
In her spare time Jan enjoys walking her dog, reading, traveling & has just started singing in a choir.
Stuart Yeates
Senior Clinical Practitioner
Stuart Yeates is a qualified BACP Counsellor and Psychotherapist, he graduated from Warwick university in 2018. He has been working in the mental health field since 2014 – both voluntary and in private counselling practice. He has experience working with individuals / couples / young people and children. His experience is primarily with person centred counselling, but he also has experience working with the cognitive behavioural model.
At Living Well, he provides 1 to 1 therapeutic support to children and young people ages 11+. works with groups of young people online and also engages in mental health triage assessments.
In his spare time, he enjoys walks, playing video games, making music, and reading. Stuart enjoys being creative and finding new and interesting ways to express himself.
Maria Forde
Children and Young People Counsellor
Maria Forde is a Child and Young People Counsellor for Living Well Consortium. She joined Living Well earlier this year.
Maria worked as a Legal Secretary for over 15 years but decided that she needed a career change. She went back into education to retrain as a Counsellor. She has worked as a Person Centred Counsellor with children and young people for over 10 years.
In her free time, she enjoys going for walks with her family and baking.
Deborah Shaw
Walking Therapist
Deborah, or short Deb, is a walking therapist with Living Well. She is trained as a person-centred counsellor and has adapted this way of working to deliver it whilst walking in local parks with clients since joining Living Well.
She has a background of working in the law but made the life-changing decision to become a therapist about 6 years ago when she realised she was more interested in helping her clients with their personal problems rather than their legal ones.
She has always enjoyed the outdoors, whether mountaineering, hill-walking or just taking the dog out to the park and can attest to the mental and physical benefits of all!
Lydia Williams
Children's Wellbeing Practitioner
Lydia has a wide range of experience supporting Children, Young People and Families. She graduated from Liverpool Hope University with a 1st Class Honours in Psychology and Childhood and Youth. She has always had a great passion for helping others and following University worked as a Family Support Worker.
Lydia has recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma to become a qualified Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner. She is looking forward to gaining a greater knowledge on supporting Children and Young People and using this to make a positive difference.
Whilst Lydia is not in work she loves to go on long walks with her dog, go to the theatre and read psychological thrillers.
Stacey Holding
Children's Wellbeing Practitioner
Stacey has a wide range of experience working with children in nurseries, primary schools and school clubs. She graduated from Birmingham Newman University in 2017 with a BA (Hons) degree in Eary Childhood Education and Care. Stacey completed her Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner qualification at Reading University in 2026 and enjoys working with children, young people and their families within the local area.
Whilst Stacey is not working, she enjoys going for walks, exploring historical buildings and getting coffee and cake.
Vinell Martell-Corbett
Children's Wellbeing Practitioner
Vinell has a BA (Hons) degree in Working with Children, Young people and Families. She has a wide range of expertise when working with children and young people as she has worked with children with social, emotional and mental health needs and has worked as a mentor in college for children and young people. Vinell has seen the effects of poor mental health in her community first hand and this has inspired her to help others and try to get mental health spoken about more!
Vinell has recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma to become a qualified Children's Wellbeing Practitioner. She is looking forward to helping others within the community and gaining extra knowledge on how to spread mental health awareness to children and young people who are in need of it.
Whilst Vinell is not working, she loves to go on walks, listen to unsolved mystery podcasts and meet with friends.
Sarah Cannon
Trainee CBT HI Practitioner
Sarah Cannon is a Trainee CBT HI Practitioner at Living Well Consortium.
Sarah started her career as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner working in various Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services. She has always been passionate about the positive impacts of physical activity on mental wellbeing.
This passion spurred Sarah on to complete further training in Personal Training and Nutrition Coaching to offer a more holistic approach to looking after our mental health. Sarah has experience of working in the gym environment and on a more personal one to one basis. Sarah loves helping people to get active and find ways to incorporate enjoyable movement into their day-to-day life.
In her free time, Sarah loves training at the gym, spending time outside in nature, walking her dog, cooking, and hunting for a good meme.
Sarah Manso
Psychological Wellbeing Supervisor
Samuel Perry
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Sam joined the team in August 2023 shortly after graduating from his degree, MSci Psychology and Psychological Practice at the University of Birmingham. At university, Sam found experience both in direct clinical work on an inpatient ward and in volunteering with Birmingham Nightline in a variety of committee roles.
The strangest thing Sam has ever done is co-create a comedy podcast about (and involving) monkeys. The second strangest thing is bringing this up to everyone he meets.
Jai Kaur
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Hetty Youd
Trainee Children's Wellbeing Practitioner
Hetty has extensive experience working with children in specialist settings supporting their mental health and learning. Hetty graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2023 with a BSc (Hons) degree in Psychology.
Hetty is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma to qualify as a Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner and is looking forward to continuing to support children and young people. She also volunteers with a crisis line organization.
In her spare time, Hetty enjoys going to concerts and spending time with friends and family. She also loves animals.
Katie Piorkowski
Trainee Children's Wellbeing Practitioner
Alisha Rehman
Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Alisha completed her undergrad degree in Law with Criminology and then went on to complete her master’s in psychology in 2022. Following her education, she went on to work within the field of substance misuse, supporting young people in their journeys of recovery. Alisha has recently joined the Living Well team as a Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, she is excited to continue expanding her knowledge and continuing to support others within the mental health space.
Outside of work, Alisha enjoys travelling to new places, music and anything arts and crafts related.
Ashwina Chohan
Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Ashwina graduated with a 1st Class Degree in Health Studies from the University of Wolverhampton and achieved a Master’s Degree in Psychology at Aston University.
Ashwina has experience of volunteering with reputable organisations such as Birmingham Children’s Hospital as a Play Therapist and NSPCC as a Childline Volunteer Counsellor.
Ashwina joined the team in September 2023 and is passionate about helping others and making a positive change to the way mental health is viewed.
Outside of work Ashwina is a music lover and enjoys playing the guitar and violin (whether she is good is questionable!) Ashwina is a self-certified book worm and has a keen interest in rom-coms and thrillers. Finally, Ashwina has a passion for travelling, exploring new places and trying different cuisines (she’s a bit of a foodie).
Kerren Lumbu
Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Kerren has experience working in mental health services administration – knowledgeable and able to answer all queries about the pathways and processes with a passion for neurodiversity. She graduated from Goldsmiths University in London with a BsC in Psychology with Forensic Psychology.
Kerren is so passionate in helping others and is used to doing this in an indirect way, so she now wants to take the clinical route in her career and is now completing the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner course with a hope to gain greater understanding to be able to support people positively manage their wellbeing.
Outside of work, Kerren enjoys hiking, travelling, and cooking.
Niamh Crowe
Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Niamh graduated from the University of Liverpool with an MSc in Psychology. She holds a BA (Hons) in English and Film from the University of Exeter.
Niamh has demonstrated her passion for mental health through volunteering with local community organisations in Liverpool and Bristol. She also has experience in educational environments, supporting learners with SEND and mental health conditions. Niamh believes in a holistic approach to mental health that creates positive change for people. She is excited to develop and grow in her practice as a Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.
In her spare time, Niamh can usually be found discovering new music, trying out new food, or exploring somewhere she hasn’t been before. She also enjoys yoga and is always looking for an excuse to try something different.
Poonam Virdee
Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Poonam is a first-class graduate in BSc Neuroscience and has a keen interest in psychology having worked as a research assistant at the Cerebra Network for her placement year.
In her free time, Poonam loves baking, playing video games, listening to The Beatles and going out for food and drinks!
Zane Ashraf
Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Zane joined the team in October 2025 with a Psychology degree from the University of Staffordshire and experience supporting patients at a Digital Mental Health organisation.
He’s a keen traveller and tennis fan who’s had the chance to see matches live at Wimbledon and the French Open. In his downtime, Zane plays tennis, enjoys watching movies & TV shows, regularly attends concerts, and plays the piano. He’s a proud Grade 5 pianist.
Lavinia Haarhoff
Psychological Wellbeing Assistant
In 2019, Lavinia graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a First-Class Undergraduate degree in Psychology. She then went on to work in a range of settings such as mental health support, youth homelessness and mentoring for looked after children. Whilst working, Lavinia has been completing a Level 5 Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and has career aspirations of becoming a Trauma Informed Psychotherapist.
Outside of work and study, Lavinia enjoys playing computer games such as The Sims 4 on PC and Animal Crossing on her Nintendo Switch.
Leiselle Walker
Telephone Triage Practitioner
Leiselle joined the Apprenticeship programme on October 17th 2022. She was based at Pattigift Therapy for her training during the programme.
Prior to joining the Apprenticeship Leiselle worked in Health and Social Care supporting children and adults with sensory impairments, autism and learning disabilities.
In her spare time Leiselle enjoys cooking Caribbean food , travelling to explore new places, reading and gardening. She comes from a family of farmers.
