Founded by Karen O’Neill and Tara McDonald, our training organization is built on solid foundations reflecting over two decades of working as psychotherapists and trainers in the field of psychological therapies.
As clinicians and trainers, our commitment to focus on relational trauma comes from a profound understanding of the pivotal role early relationships play in human development. We understand that children and young people recovering from complex relational trauma require enriched therapeutic care to help heal from inadequate or harmful past experiences. We also understand the impact on families.
While this work is complex, through a relational trauma lens, a skilled therapist can help buffer the impact of disrupted connections and harmful relational patterns. By incorporating intentional and relational therapeutic clinical practices into our work, young clients and their families begin to replace patterns of protection with patterns of connection.
Karen lives in Colchester, Essex, which is the oldest recorded town and newest recorded city in the UK. She is an Adult Psychotherapist, Child Therapist, Parent-Infant Therapist and EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner. An experienced clinician, Karen works as an independent practitioner integrating different therapeutic models. She specializes in parent-infant dyads to help parents better understand their baby and strengthen the relationship between them.
Initially trained as a general nurse, Karen has always been interested in the wellbeing of people through a holistic lens. Alongside her work as a psychotherapist, she is a clinical supervisor and holds a Certificate in Education.
Karen is studying for a Doctorate in Psychotherapy where her concept of Symbolic Repair© emerged. She has an interest in creative writing and has contributed to Messy Play in the Early Years: Supporting Learning through Material Engagements (Gascoyne, 2018) and has written a chapter in Seeking Shelter, Seeking Safety. Clay Therapy with Families and Groups (Souter-Anderson, 2019).
Tara is an experienced therapist, clinical supervisor, and trainer. She originally qualified as an Integrative Adult Counsellor and Psychotherapist, before moving into working with children and young people. She holds a Master’s degree in Practice-Based Play Therapy, is a Certified Theraplay Practitioner and a Certified Clinical Trauma Practitioner.
After spending 10 years living and working in Thailand, Tara relocated to Cheltenham, in the Cotswolds, where she runs an independent practice. Tara began her career as an Adult Crisis Counsellor in London before focusing on children and young people. She has extensive experience as a Whole School Counsellor and later served as a Child and Family Therapist at a Child & Adolescent Mental Health Clinic.
While in Asia, Tara led a Not-For-Profit organization focused on attachment-based training for social workers, aimed at supporting families from low socio-economic backgrounds and preventing the relinquishment of children to care. She is passionate about helping parents and carers navigate the challenges and emotional experiences of parenthood.
We met and connected at a Family Therapy training over a decade ago and always felt very aligned personally and professionally. We have had a similar journey as psychological therapists both originally qualifying to work with adults before moving into child, adolescent, and family work.
Individually, we have developed our expertise in working with complex relational trauma including post-adoption therapy. Our clinical practice is scaffolded through training in a broad range of attachment and trauma-focused models including Play Therapy, Dyadic Development Psychotherapy, Filial Play Therapy, Theraplay® and Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST).
PIP Solutions was born out of the strength of our friendship and our dream to create a training organization providing high quality training to qualified child therapists. As we have evolved, we have focused our energies on advancing expertise in relational and developmental trauma. Our vision, to be a specialist training provider to help therapists address the complexities faced by young clients who have experienced profound trauma.
We work hard to ensure that everyone attending PIP Solutions training gains a learning experience which is motivating, meaningful, and supportive. We aim to empower every clinician with knowledge and skills to make a significant impact on their practice.