About Us
A dedicated team of trauma therapists, supervisors and interpreters operating in the South West of England
Who We Are
We are a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. As the first and originally only agency providing refugee trauma specialist support in the southwest England, we were founded in Bristol in 2002 to ease the mental suffering of refugees and people seeking asylum.
What We Do
We provide free, long-term 1-1 and group psychotherapy and counselling to people fleeing torture, oppression and war.
We also hold an essential and proactive role in supporting the refugee and migration sector's mental health and wellbeing through supervision and training for charities, local authorities, law centres, housing associations and companies.
Our Values
COMPASSION - We believe in the power of caring
COLLABORATION - We create connections
COURAGE - We face trauma together
Read more about our work and impact in our latest impact report.
Watch Video: How TFSW Makes a Difference
Watch Video: How TFSW Began
Meet the Team
We are a small, friendly team with a huge amount of experience.
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Nicola Hill
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
I am a charity leader with a background in operations, strategy, and service delivery, and over 15 years cross-cultural professional experience. I am committed to social justice through creating systems and services that are compassionate and inclusive.
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Katherine Cox, PhD, BACP Accred
DIRECTOR OF SERVICES
I am an integrative psychotherapist and supervisor with experience and interest in working with communities experiencing multiple and intersectional oppression. I have spent most of my professional life in the voluntary sector and am committed to the wellbeing of both service users and those who work to support them.
Therapists, Supervisors and Trainers
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Addam Merali-Younger
MA MBACP
I'm an integrative, relational counsellor working for TFSW and another charity, alongside my own private practice. I aim for my work to be anti-oppressive, and to support those from marginalised groups and communities. My mum was a refugee at the age of 12, and this personal connection inspires my aim to give time in my studies and work to the support of refugees and asylum seekers.
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Ana Jorge
MA, UKCP
I am an accredited psychotherapist working with individuals and couples. I work in an integrative way, which means I am trained in a number of therapeutic approaches. I am a TFSW supervisor for external agencies. I also have a passion for helping people to express themselves through arts and movement.
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Ana Szopa
MA, Dip HIC, MBACP
An integrative counsellor working both in private practice and for local charities. I have been working in the migrant rights sector for over a decade. I have had the privilege to walk alongside people being held in immigration detention, newly resettled refugee families, survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking, and migrated mamas and babies. My passion is informed by my own family history of migration and belief that migration is a human right.
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Becky Lewis
I have worked 30 years with an array of mental health conditions. Now, as a humanistic integrative therapist, my work focuses on trauma, relational and solution focused therapy. I have also worked with addiction and sexual violence.
As a migrant to the UK many years ago, I am passionate about promoting a growth mindset and ownership of the space we occupy in the face of adversity. I look forward to walking alongside people as they regain their power and worth, in spite of challenges
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Ceinwen Birrell
MA, MFA
I am an art psychotherapist registered with HCPC and BAAT as well as a visual artist, specialising in painting. I work 1-1 and with groups and families. I have a particular interest in working with marginal groups such as refugees and asylum seekers. My work is trauma informed, socially engaged and intersectional in its focus. I run two art therapy groups for TFSW.
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Charlene Thomson
MBACP
I’m an integrative psychotherapist and counselling psychologist in training. I am passionate about working collaboratively with people in a way that is relational, trauma informed and sensitive to intersectional oppression. I have previously worked within the sexual and domestic violence sector and currently work in the NHS alongside private practice.
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Daniela D'acri
I am an integrative counsellor so I draw on a variety of approaches from psychodynamic, body psychotherapy and the relational school. As well as working with TFSW, I also have a private practice. I have worked in a bereavement service and other low cost services for over 6 years.
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Erika Geczi
A BACP-registered, integrative counsellor. My work is grounded in person-centred values and informed by existential thinking, supporting clients to rebuild safety, meaning, and agency at their own pace.
Alongside my counselling practice, I work within NHS Talking Therapies, giving me understanding of psychological distress, functional impact, and recovery pathways. I work thoughtfully, ethically, and with sensitivity to trauma, culture, and lived experience.
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Gema Luque-Higueras
Originally from Andalusia, in the south of Spain, I moved to the UK in 2015 and I have lived here since then. I am a HCPC registered art therapist and a full professional member of BAAT.
In addition to my role with TFSW, I work in CAMHS in a specialised clinic for children and young people from a refugee background. I had the privilege of working with asylum seekers and refugees since 2016 across different services.
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Ginny Bates
I am a humanistic integrative counsellor with 29 years experience; 12 in the NHS, working in private practice and specialising in trauma. I’m delighted to be working with tfsw.
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Jessica Bennion
I am a relational and person centred counsellor with an interest in working with trauma. Alongside working with TFSW, I have a private practice, and also work with a Carers Service providing short-term counselling. I have 10+ years’ experience of working with victims of trafficking and modern slavery.
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Jo Walker
A trauma-informed counsellor with a humanistic, person-centred foundation.
Alongside private practice, I work within a trauma-informed sexual violence service. I have worked across a range of settings, always with the intention of contributing to services and communities that are inclusive, responsive, and grounded in care.
I am really looking forward to contributing to approaches that support the experiences of refugees and people seeking asylum.
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Kate Hatchett
MBACP, MBABCP (Accred), EMDR UK Therapist
An integrative, humanistic counsellor, systemic practitioner and EMDR UK therapist. I have worked as a trauma therapist for over 10 years, with children, young people and adults, both in private practice, the charity sector and the NHS, specialising in supporting survivors of child sexual abuse and domestic abuse.
I believe that human connection, compassionate, meaningful relationships, and a collaborative, courageous approach are fundamental in trauma recovery.
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Katie Hope
BA (Hons), PG Dip HIP
I have 30 years' experience of working with refugees in the voluntary sector. I am a humanistic integrative counsellor and I provide therapeutic supervision for several agencies through TFSW. I’m passionate about helping people understand complex trauma’s impact on the mind and body, and find effective ways to heal.
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Kirstie Adamson
BA, MSc, SEP, BACP(Accred)
Over 20 years experience of working with trauma, transition, adoption, attachment. I am also a somatic experiencing practitioner so particularly work on links between our emotions and the movements and sensations of our body. I am a therapist and trainer with TFSW.
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Liz Legum
I am an integrative therapist which means I am not wedded to one particular discipline or technique. Instead, I work with each client to discover what is best for their unique needs. I have worked for ten years in the refugee sector in various capacities and have experience with people suffering from trauma and complex grief.
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Lynn Linsdale
Dip HIP MA HIP
I have particular experience associated with working with clients suffering from anxiety, trauma, depression PTSD, and sexual abuse. I am also a supervisor and trainer for external agencies with TFSW.
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Sarah Shoraka
MSc, MBACP, UKCP
An accredited psychotherapist with a background in environmental, social and racial justice work. I work for TFSW and another charity as well as having my own private practice.
I am passionate about and committed to the practice of acknowledging and challenging intersectional oppression as well as working colaboratively in a trauma-informed way. I have a relational Gestalt approach, working with the the whole person. I can invite experiments, embodiment, creative approaches, EMDR and outdoor therapy as part of my work with clients.
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Shirley Wren
MBACP
I am a registered Person-Centred Integrative Counsellor. My work focuses on helping clients manage trauma, anxiety, grief, and long-term conditions, among other human experiences. I aim to help clients reconnect with their authentic selves, build resilience for life's complexities and develop the tools they need to thrive.
Alongside my private practice, I volunteer for a mental health charity in Somerset, as part of my commitment to helping make mental health support more accessible. -

Susan Pontin
BA Dip HIP UKCP reg.
My approach as a psychotherapist places high value on the human relationship between client and therapist. I provide supervision to external agencies for TFSW.
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Tarana Wafi
An integrative counsellor working with TFSW alongside my own private practice, with years of experience in the mental health and charity sectors. My work is trauma-informed, culturally sensitive and relational, and includes supporting refugees, people seeking asylum and marginalised communities. I also offer therapy in more than one language, and aim to provide a safe, collaborative space for reflection and change.
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Tavga Zand
An integrative counsellor working across TFSW, the NHS, and mental health charity working with women. I support people navigating trauma, loss, and major life changes, offering a safe, person-centred space where experiences can be explored at their own pace. I am trained in Narrative Exposure Therapy and Imagery Rescripting and work in English and Kurdish, helping clients reconnect with their strengths and focus on who they are becoming, not only what they have endured.
Trustees and Special Advisors
Our committed volunteers have a wide range of expertise and experience. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact us.
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Erin Caseley
CHAIR OF TRUSTEES
I am a freelance consultant with 20 years’ leadership experience and particular expertise in strategy, change and organisational development. With deep rooted values around inclusion and social justice I am inspired and heartened by the incredible work of TFSW and honoured to be a trustee.
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Elham Mousavian
TRUSTEE
I am an interpreter and a former material scientist. After becoming a mother, I have worked alongside the amazing therapists and counsellors at TFSW. I have also volunteered as a mentor for ReachOut youth club and as a patient experience volunteer at University Hospital South Wales.
I admire the important work of TFSW, providing vulnerable individuals a safe space to heal from traumatic life experiences. I am excited to apply my skills and relatable life experience in my role as trustee.
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Ellie Palmer
TRUSTEE
I am a freelance fundraising consultant with 25 years' experience of working principally for social welfare charities. I believe we must support those coming to our country seeking refuge and asylum and that we have much to gain from inclusion. I am therefore delighted and honoured to have become a trustee of TFSW.
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Giulia Tranchina
TRUSTEE
I am an immigration solicitor specialised in asylum and human rights law. I practise at Wilson Solicitors LLP, and am experienced representing vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors and victims of of torture, trafficking and other forms of abuse. I previously worked at Freedom from Torture as the national immigration manager of the legal team supporting and advising clients in therapy and their clinicians, and at Human Rights Watch, where I conducted research, advocacy and campaigning work on asylum and externalisation policies affecting migrants and refugees.
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Judy Ryde, PhD UKCP reg.
TRUSTEE AND FOUNDER
I am a psychotherapist and particularly interested in working across cultures and within the field of intercultural therapy, working with those who are traumatised by war and countries in conflict.
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Lisa Ballam
TRUSTEE
Head of Marketing at Torchbox, a B Corp certified digital agency specialising in working with charities. I'm passionate about helping nonprofits use digital and AI to reach more people, strengthen their services, and make a real difference. I'm honoured to be supporting TFSW’s marketing and fundraising strategy. The mission to build a community where healing is possible for traumatised refugees and people seeking asylum inspires me and I’m grateful to support.
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Liz Murphy
TRUSTEE
I worked as an inner-city GP with a remarkably diverse population for many years. I became interested in the physical, psychological, and social issues affecting the health of people I was working with who had fled war, persecution, or oppression. I became a trustee of TFSW after retiring from clinical work.
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Miriam Nye
TRUSTEE
I have over 10 years’ experience as a specialist social worker working with refugees. I currently run a support service for refugees and migrants living with HIV in the Bristol area.
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Quen Geuter
TRUSTEE
I am CEO of Trauma Treatment International. I have over 20 years' experience working with NGOs to build scale, capabilities and partnerships. I join TFSW in their determination to provide essential mental health interventions to those who need them most.
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Sarah Fairbairns
TRUSTEE
I am a psychotherapist and was one of the first to work with clients with TFSW when the charity was created. After many years I chose to step back from the frontline and become a trustee instead. Since then I’ve had several different roles: fundraising initiatives, organising conferences, marketing and proofreading leaflets.
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Sophia Wedderkopp
TRUSTEE
I am a strategic communications advisor with almost 20 years’ experience working with organisations large and small. I am also a trained psychodynamic counsellor and believe in offering therapeutic support to all who need it. I am honoured to be bringing both parts of my experience to TFSW as a trustee.
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Victor Ofori Asante
TRUSTEE (Finance Lead)
I am a detail oriented and tech-savvy finance professional specialising in driving data-informed financial strategy across the non-profit and business sectors. A Chevening and Think Big Scholar, I hold an MSc in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Bristol. I focus on using finance for inclusive development and sustainable growth.
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Caroline Jaine MFA
SPECIAL ADVISOR
Founder of The Jaine Resilience Academy, a retired diplomat and former police leader. I love being able to share my expertise in wellbeing programs, education, communications, and strategic development to support TFSW. Having lived overseas for many years - in the countries that people had fled, I am honoured to return to my home in the South West of England, and support those who have arrived here.
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Anna Hutton- North
SPECIAL ADVISOR
A strategic Marketing Director, with international B2B experience having worked for companies such as Barclays, KPMG, Wedlake Bell and Reuters.
I run a consultancy helping clients to accelerate growth. I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and have an MBA from Henley Business School. I am a regular speaker on how marketing can drive growth by winning work and the author on a number of business and marketing books.
Discover More
Stories from TFSW Interpreters.
C O N T A C T U S
Learn more about our organisation or inquire about our training programmes.
Trauma Training Programme
Training sessions are available in person or online as part of our nationally available online programme. We can also offer all the training below or create training for your own needs bespoke for your team.


