Dr Isla Clark, DPsych, MSc, PGCE, BA Hons

Therapeutic Consultant

Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

I have over 20 years of experience supporting children, young people, families, carers and professional networks across education, health, social care, and residential settings. My specialist training in psychoanalysis and additional trainings in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), PACE, Theraplay, Non-Violent Resistance (NVR), and Therapeutic Life Story Work underpins my approach as a therapeutic consultant. Through this work, I help organisations, teams and supportive adults, parents and carers to use trauma-informed neurodiversity-affirming principles into everyday practice, creating environments where children and young people can feel safe, understood, and supported to thrive.

For the past 15 years, I have worked within specialist CAMHS services, including adoption, children-in-care, eating disorder, and community mental health teams. Alongside my clinical work, I have developed extensive experience in delivering consultation, training, reflective practice, therapeutic parenting, supervision, psychological assessment, and formulation to professionals and organisations supporting children and families.

Earlier in my career, I supported children and young people with complex needs in residential children's homes and as a primary school teacher. These experiences provided me with valuable insight into the realities of caring for, educating, and supporting children across a range of settings. As a result, my work is grounded in both psychological theory and also practical experience.

My work focuses on helping organisations move towards fully integrated therapeutic models of care. I support leadership teams and practitioners to embed trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches at every level of service delivery, ensuring that therapeutic principles become part of the culture, decision-making, and everyday practice of the organisation.

I have extensive experience consulting to schools, residential children's homes, fostering agencies, local authority services, and therapeutic organisations, supporting the development of sustainable therapeutic cultures that improve outcomes for children, young people, families, and the professionals who care for them.

Every organisation, team, and child is unique, which is why I offer a range of services that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. By working in partnership, my aim is to help build a shared understanding of trauma-informed and relationship-based care, creating a culture where therapeutic principles are embedded into everyday practice.