Dr Jude McLean

I'm originally from Durban, South Africa and have lived in London since 1998.  I've always been drawn to the mental health field and started working in this area in 2003.   I believe wholeheartedly in everyone's intrinsic ability to heal and grow, given the right conditions.  However, having grown up in a highly oppressive society, I know that the right conditions are not always available to everyone.  This trauma is then held in our bodies, broader systems and cultures.  I aim to work with consideration of all of these levels of human experience.  

As a Counselling Psychologist, I worked for the NHS for 16 years in various roles and Trusts.  I was based in adult general mental health, treating people with depression and a range of anxiety disorders.  I also worked in a number of long-term health teams, helping people to adjust to conditions such as HIV, CFS/ME, chronic pain and diabetes.

In the private sector, I worked at the Nightingale Hospital in Marylebone on the general psychiatric unit for over six years, where I facilitated inpatient therapy groups and provided outpatient CBT and Schema Therapy sessions for clients with complex and severe mental health issues.

I’ve since been running a busy private practice for over seven years, where I see people with a range of challenges including complex and/ or enduring mental health issues.  I also supervise therapists and until recently co-facilitated an accreditation course for budding Schema Therapists.  

As Co-Founder of The Helpers Hub, I’m fascinated in the body-mind connection.  In particular, I’m interested in how stress manifests for us as helpers (therapists, medical professionals, teachers, carers etc.).  And no two helpers are alike! Our bodies often show us what’s not working long before our thinking minds do.  At the Helpers Hub we’re all about learning how to listen to this information and then finding ways to take action on that.