LINK CENTRE - Key Persons
Geoff is a well-regarded and highly qualified Psychotherapist (TA and Psychoanalytic), Supervisor and Trainer with decades of experience working in mental health and psychotherapy settings. Latterly he has worked in a high security prison as a Consultant Psychotherapist specialising in Group Work. He is reconnecting to a passionate interest in spirituality and is currently in training with One Spirit Interfaith Foundation. Geoff has also held the role of primary tutor at the Metanoia institute since 1996 and left there in the summer of 2019 following his move to Brighton.
Of training Geoff says " I have found supporting students to become qualified and successful to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my work" . His other professional interests include working with bereavement and loss and all that this entails, and it was his training in the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross foundation that started his interest in psychotherapy. He has found TA to be a highly accessible theory, which can used in a wide variety of settings. He has also found TA have the warmest of professional communities.
Job Titles:
- ADVISOR - STRATEGY / MARKETING
- Transactional Analyst
With a background in sales and management Leilani became interested in counselling in her early 20's. She initially undertook some counselling skills training to enhance her professional role but soon became fascinated with learning more about herself and others and continued to an integrative Diploma in Counselling course. In 1993 Leilani started a private counselling practice in Sussex and in 1999 completed a Diploma in Supervision course. Leilani decided to specialise in Transactional Analysis completing a further five years of Psychotherapy Training and one year of Organisational TA training.
Leilani Mitchell is now an internationally recognised Transactional Analyst specialising in Training, Supervision, Coaching, Education and Psychotherapy. Her passion is facilitating others to improve the quality of their lives whether by increasing personal insight and awareness, increasing skills or developing tools that empower others at home and work. Leilani is a founder of The Link Centre and former Chair of Trustees of UKATA (United Kingdom for Transactional Analysis). She has now stepped down as a Link Centre Director but continues to work with us as an advisor and visiting Tutor.
Leilani is a mother and grandmother and has lived in Sussex for most of her life. She is warm, engaging and fun and enjoys teaching others using humour and loves to inspire others to become whatever or whoever they want to be.
Liza originally trained and qualified as an Integrative Counsellor and then completed her TA training to become a Psychotherapist at the Iron Mill College before moving to the Berne Institute to do exam preparation and an MSc. Prior to this she worked for over twenty years in social housing.
Liza Heatley is a UKCP registered Psychotherapist with an MSc in Psychotherapy, and a Provisional Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (PTSTA, P). She is a Psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer and for several years worked for the West of England Specialist Gender Identity Clinic .
She has presented workshops and seminars at the World Conference in Berlin; EATA conference and at various UKATA Registered Training Establishments throughout the UK. She is also a member of UKATA'S Diversity and Social Responsibility Committee and was one of the primary organisers of the first highly successful TA conference in the south west of England in October 2019.
Liza is delighted to be joining the Link Centre and looks forward to meeting students in the coming months.
Job Titles:
- PLACEMENT OFFICER / STUDENT RECORDS / LIBRARY MANAGER
Mark is a senior lecturer in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Salford, Manchester, UK. He is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, holder of the European Certificate of Psychotherapy, and specialist trauma therapist. In addition to his academic work, Mark maintains a private practice for individuals and couples in central Manchester.
Mark has twenty five years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist and has worked extensively with a full spectrum of trauma survivors throughout this time, including survivors of physical and/ or sexual violence, war refugees and torture survivors. He has trained in numerous trauma therapies over the years.
He is also the author of Transactional Analysis: 100 Key Points and Techniques and Transactional Analysis for Depression: A Step-by-Step Treatment Manual, both published by Routledge. He is an active psychotherapy researcher and was awarded the European Association for Transactional Analysis Silver medal in 2014 and the International Transactional Analysis Association research award in 2017 for his contributions to the evidence base for transactional analysis.
Rebecca Davies is a UKCP-registered Psychotherapist and PTSTA (P). She runs a private psychotherapy and supervision practice in Brighton. She loves TA theory and is eager to share and gain knowledge. She has a special interest in trauma and Body Psychotherapy. Her undergraduate degree was in Philosophy and Cognitive Science, so unsurprisingly she is interested in neurobiology and how we as therapists can work in a scientifically informed manner.
Besides TA, she is passionate about politics. She loves the outdoors and animals. She occasionally engages in creative writing and yoga (but not at the same time). She says of her own experience "My own experience of TA training was life changing, and I am very excited to work with the Link Centre students as they discover this fascinating subject and develop as counsellors and psychotherapists.
Suna has provided counselling and psychotherapy since 2000, initially working in non-profit organisations. In 2004, she was employed as a bi-lingual counsellor to provide individual counselling and group psychotherapy to Turkish and Kurdish immigrants and later on was promoted as Mental Health Team Leader. She was responsible for service development; facilitating reflective practice meetings; developing and implementing policies for confidentiality, ethical and safe practice, clinical assessments and interventions. Since 2014, she has been working in a fertility clinic and has had a private practice in The City of London.
Being a teacher in her previous career, Suna has a strong interest in delivering psycho-educational trainings with a view to alleviate stress and empower people. In an ever migrating world Suna has always had a firm interest in diversity and cross-cultural work. She has worked extensively with foreign nationals and bi-cultural individuals - with a special focus on trauma, cultural and personal bereavement, anxiety, depression and resilience . She holds a MSc in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy, a diploma in Integrative and Humanistic Counselling. She is accredited by and registered with BACP.