Renee Thurston

Renee Thurston is a highly skilled Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience. She offers her expertise to children, young people, families, and parents/carers dealing with various mental health challenges.

Her work includes assisting severely disabled children, those with conditions such as ADHD, autism, eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorders, and various forms of challenging behaviour, including disruptions in school or family settings. With substantial experience in hospital baby units, special schools, and nurseries, Renee is also a recognised authority in parent-infant mental health.

Renee excels in child assessment and brings a wealth of knowledge to the implementation of effective intervention strategies. She offers a variety of treatment options, including short-term and long-term psychotherapy, family therapy, group therapy, and parent-child psychotherapy. Her approach incorporates psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, and other evidence-based techniques, tailored to the unique factors that have shaped the individuals involved.

Working with diverse family structures, including single parents, blended families, separated families, same-sex couples, IVF families, and their broader social networks, Renee emphasises the importance of engaging parents, families, and the wider professional community in achieving successful treatment outcomes.

Renee's qualifications include a degree in Child Psychology, as well as a Master's degree in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies. She also trained at the Tavistock Clinic as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. Renee is a Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) Practitioner and Supervisor, and she has successfully applied the VIG method in her work with children and their families. Over her career, she has worked in various clinical and social settings, such as hospitals, schools, and outpatient clinics, consistently focusing on child psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment for over two decades.

Renee has made significant contributions to various healthcare settings, including the Special Care Baby Unit at the North Middlesex Hospital, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Free Hospital, the Parent-Infant Mental Health Perinatal Service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Swiss Cottage Special SEN School, and the nursery at Brookfield School. Additionally, Renee has played a pivotal role in conducting expert witness assessments for court cases involving infants and children.