The Board of Directors
The Association of Clinical Psychologists UK is the representative body for clinical psychologists. It is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company and its aim is to empower clinical psychologists to provide psychological perspective and influence with a view to improving the well-being and quality of life of service users and the general public.
To do this, ACP-UK is led by a Board of Directors with a mix of operational and representative roles. Board elections take place every three years with elected directors having a wide range of skills, experience and expertise. Below you can learn more about the members of current ACP-UK Board of Directors.
Mike Wang
Chair of the
Board of Directors
I qualified as a clinical psychologist in 1980 and have worked in a variety of mental health settings. I have been involved in clinical psychology training for 30 years and have led the Hull and (more recently) Leicester courses. I was UK Chair of the Division of Clinical Psychology in 2002/3: I led the move to backfill arrangements for DCP Officers and the introduction of service user representation in the DCP. I represented the DCP on New Ways of Working for Psychiatrists and subsequently co-led the Training Project Group on New Ways of Working in Applied Psychology. I have served as an expert member of a NICE clinical guidance committee. I have clinical psychology contacts in many other countries and am familiar with the politics and history of the profession in European, American, African and Asian contexts. I have a longstanding interest in, and commitment to, diversity, inclusion, spirituality and cultural competence. I am of dual ethnic heritage and was born and brought up in the North of England.
Clinically I have practised mainly in adult mental health and in physical health contexts. I am also a qualified clinical neuropsychologist and continue to see people with acquired brain injury. I have a longstanding research interest in states of consciousness during general anaesthesia and the prevention and treatment of psychological trauma arising in anaesthetic and surgical contexts. I am an Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Leicester.
Penelope Cream
Director of
Operations
My clinical specialty is working with people who have complex medical conditions and the staff that care for them. Coming from a background of setting up new psychology services for medical teams, I enjoy thinking about how complex systems and competing demands can interact successfully. ACP-UK is remarkably good at achieving a great deal very quickly. I hope that I can help its members and Board directors to move forward into every area their ambitions take them.
In addition to now being Director of Operations I have been the Lead for ACP-UK’s COVID-19 Staff Support Schemes since March 2020. I look forward to expanding the welfare and support services for our members, alongside the work the support team has been providing for our medical, nursing and social care colleagues working throughout the pandemic.
Michael Rolt
Director of
Finance
I am an early career clinical psychologist, having recently completed clinical training. I am passionate about working with young people and families and working within a community CAMHS setting in a split clinical and service development role. My research interests are focused on substance misuse, particularly amongst sexual minorities. I have published papers on interferon-induced depression and am currently developing further publications on sexualised drug use amongst gay men.
Before retraining in Psychology, I followed a career path as a chartered management accountant and worked for 16 years as a senior business analyst. I have developed a range of transferable skills including financial strategy, leadership, analysis, business process design and project appraisal and worked within highly demanding environments. I have worked alongside the most senior levels of management and have held a diverse range of global roles with blue-chip organisations in Europe and Australasia.
Jaime Craig
Director of
Policy & Governance
My research prior to clinical training was in the field of autism and this interest in neurodevelopment has continued into my clinical work. My NHS career has been in specialist CAMHS services – ultimately as Service lead/Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Alongside this I worked as research tutor on the Lancaster Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology. I have represented Clinical Psychology in various forums including as the as part of the DCP exec/Chair of the DCP Children and Young people’s faculty; working alongside other professional bodies and Royal Colleges and contributing to national policy and initiatives.
From 2010 I enjoyed time as a stay-at-home dad and then gradually developed my independent practice as an Expert Witness. My time in independent practice has confirmed the broad appreciation for the skills and competencies Clinical Psychologists have to offer in a wide variety of arenas. My work now includes Expert witness work, predominantly in the Family courts; training; psychological provision to children’s homes and schools; some adult and family therapeutic work and autism assessment. In 2016 I was appointed to the Family Justice Council an inter-disciplinary advisory body to the family courts, and co-chaired the development of guidelines for psychologists as experts in the family courts.
As the current Director for Policy & Governance I hope to build on the crucial public protection work ACP-UK has been championing in relation to the protection of the Psychologist title, working with the current regulatory systems to offer support and challenge. I am passionate about what our profession has to offer and am proud to belong to a proactive and agile professional body.
Dorothy Frizelle
Director of
Strategy & Workforce
Dr. Dorothy Frizelle, BSc. BSc. ClinPsyD AFBPsS MA Ethics
I am both proud and humbled to be supporting ACP-UK in a Directors role. I believe this is an exciting and changing time for Clinical Psychology and the need for a strong professional voice and identity is essential. The focus and determination of the organisation is inspiring and this, combined with the ACP-UK ethos of openness, collaboration and inclusivity appeals at personal as well as professional levels.
My ‘work biography’ is below for anyone interested in what else I do and what I’m interested in. I’m happy to be contacted through ACP-UK but am also on Twitter @DFrizelle for any queries or even just to say ‘hello’.
Dorothy is a Consultant Clinical Health Psychologist and Head of Psychology Services for Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The service delivers psychological consultation, supervision, teaching and clinical interventions to patients and families across a range of medical specialties, including paediatric and adult diabetes and across community, hospital in-patient and out-patient settings. Her clinical practice area is with adults with diabetes and she has a particular interest in patient engagement and the interface between behavioural and pharmacological treatment approaches. She is currently a member of the UK NICE Diabetes Guideline Update Committee.
Dorothy is a Board Member for the UK Association of Clinical Psychologists; she is past Chair for the Faculty for Clinical Health Psychology, UK and has served on the committee for the past 20 years; she was a member of the British Psychological Society’s working party for End of Life Care and past Faculty Member for the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR). She is a regular reviewer of submitted articles related to behavioural aspects of LTC’s for several high impact journals. She has published articles in a number of academic journals and abstracts for medical conferences and regularly undertakes national and international teaching for MDT colleagues.
Dorothy can be contacted via [email protected] and via Twitter @DFrizelle
Masuma Rahim
Director for Professional Ethics & Standards
I am a clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, systemic practitioner, and expert witness specialising in brain injury and mental capacity. I am a member of the Committee on Training in Clinical Psychology, the national clinical psychology accreditation board. I am a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire and an External Examiner for the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programmes at the Universities of Karachi and Bahria. I have a particular interest in the intersection of brain injury and offending and am frequently instructed to conduct comprehensive neuropsychological assessments on those serving custodial sentences, including indeterminate sentences for public protection. Alongside clinical psychology, I am a woodturner, vegetable grower and chicken keeper.
Simon Mudie
Director for
Involvement
My invited role with the ACP is to establish and embed the voice of Experts by Experience, engage with fellow professionals, and seek to engage members of the public. Guided by the co produced ACP constitution, we intend to consider as many mechanisms of professional and public involvement as practicable.
Tori Snell
Director of
International Relations
Clinical Psychology is a second career for me. I started out as a journalist in America and lived for many years in the Middle East, the Gulf and Southeast Asia. Witnessing the disproportionate effects of historic and ongoing conflict on existing inequalities within these communities was central to my decision to pursue a psychology career.
Currently, I am a Consultant Clinical Psychologist within the Addictions Directorate of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, which supports people to realise their full potential and challenges unhelpful narratives around substance use and mental health. From 2007 until 2019, I volunteered and then served on the Board of the non-profit Children and War Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children after war and disaster through scientific research. My work still connects me to the Global South through teaching, occasional research and, for the past 13 years, as the English Language Editor of the Arab Journal of Psychiatry. I am an Honorary Teacher on the University of Leicester DClinPsy course where my clinical psychology journey started. Such connections remain an important touchstone for me when reflecting on ways clinical psychology can positively influence social change. I am pleased to be part of the ACP-UK Board as Director for International Relations having joined for the organisation’s values, ethics, and commitment to advocacy; and, for its role in contributing to that change.
You can reach me via [email protected]
Carol Valinejad
Director
for England
Carol has previously worked for the NHS for over 20 years and has worked within 4 major NHS Trusts during this period. She now works in private practice and is director of her own psychological services company. She describes herself as an NHS psychologist on the inside and a psychologist who works in private practice on the outside. She has worked in a variety of settings including Adult Mental Health, Child Mental Health, Inpatient Services, Leadership and as an Expert Witness and has particular interest in working within trauma informed models, community psychology and neuropsychology.
She believes that her work profile has prepared her adequately for the role of director for England as she is well placed to represent psychologists both within the NHS, private practice and across a wide variety of specialisms.
Carol is interested to support the development of the Clinical Psychology profession reach its full potential. She looks forward to working with the board and members to achieve this goal.
David McCormack
Director for
Northern Ireland
I am the current ACP-UK Director for Northern Ireland. It is an honour to have this role and be part of an organisation of such forward-looking, progressive and committed Clinical Psychologists.
In addition to my role at ACP-UK I am the Clinical Director on the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast.
ACP-UK is a wonderfully supportive organisation with ambitious and achievable plans for the future. I am very impressed by how it promotes, supports and represents Clinical Psychologists. If you are not yet a member I would encourage you to consider joining and play a role in shaping the future of our profession. If you would like to get in touch with me please do email, [email protected]
Fiona Summers
Director for
Scotland
I am passionate about what clinical psychology, as a profession, can bring to the table – whether it be in the NHS, independent practice or in the wider context with our experts by experience and the general public. My own background clinically is in neuropsychology, having graduated from the D Clin Psychol at the University of Edinburgh in 2000. Prior to psychology I was in the RAF, taught in a school in a black homeland in South Africa during apartheid, and worked in Social work and grow up in a small island in the South Pacific called Kiribati. As Director for Scotland I have a passion for Scotland; our culture, heritage, beautiful landscape and, of course, national drink (whisky more than Irn Bru to be fair). My role on the board is to ensure that Scotland is actively involved and represented in any ACPuk discussions and to consider where our experiences and challenges differ given our healthcare system, legal system and government where many issues relating to clinical psychology are devolved. I also commit to taking a leadership role in any consultations within Scotland that our members feel we have a duty to respond too. I have been impressed, so far, by what the ACP UK has offered me as a clinical psychologist and truly believe we actively strive to be bold and membership led. We need to keep that passion and ‘fire in our belly’ to continue to growing and I am delighted to be part of that journey.
Rachel Skippon
Director for
Wales (Joint)
I am a Consultant Clinical Psychologist working in North Wales. Throughout my career I have worked across both physical and mental health settings.
My clinical interests are in supporting people who fall between the gaps in our health and social care systems. My current roles are Psychology Lead for the Long Covid Service and the Health Psychology Liaison Team in North Wales.
I’ve lived in Wales for 17 years and continue to be humbled by the welcome I have received into our thriving Welsh culture and community.
Clinical Psychology in Wales faces particular demands and opportunities unique to our nation.
I am proud to represent ACP-UK as Co-Director for Wales and look forward to supporting our profession across Wales to move forward in these challenging times.
Jen Daffin
Director for
Wales (Joint)
I am a Community Clinical Psychologist with a passion for social justice. I experience of working across NHS mental health and learning disability services in both England and Wales. I now work for a Wales based mental health and social change charity called Platfform as the Trauma Informed Practice Lead. Prior to this I worked for Child and Family Community Psychology in ABUHB, Wales.
I have a particular interest in applying psychosocial thinking and practice at a macro level. Thinking about relational need and ways of working in both organisations and at a community or population level. How do we apply these ideas to policy and practice to create psychosocially healthy circumstances for people to thrive in.
It is this that drives my motivation to be involved with ACP-UK and the work that ACP does.
Imogen Rushworth
Director for
Training
As Director for Training, I am the point of contact between ACP-UK and the GTiCP, providing liaison and feedback on developments relating to training issues pertinent to the two organisations. This includes issues that arise within the wider DCP and BPS, the HCPC and the NHS, and as well as directly from the GTiCP and ACP-UK.
Jake Easto
Director
for Early Careers
I am a recently qualified clinical psychologist based in Scotland. I have been a member of ACP-UK since my first year of clinical training and have been involved as a trainee representative, as well as a representative for NHS Glasgow and Greater Clyde.
I believe clinical psychology has an important role both within the NHS and in wider society and I want to work with ACP-UK to ensure we are working to alleviate suffering and challenge injustice wherever we find it. I hope that in my role as Director for Early Careers I will work to improve the experiences of my colleagues making the transition from trainee to fully qualified staff, and to empower them to make positive changes and bring new ideas to our services.
Fauzia Cullasy
Director
for Trainees
Fauzia (they/them) attended Goldsmiths, University of London, where they achieved their BSc Psychology undergraduate degree. After this, they qualified and worked as a secondary science teacher before deciding to pursue a career in clinical psychology. Fauzia has worked as an assistant psychologist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, as a volunteer counsellor at a suicide prevention charity with adults and as a voluntary wellbeing practitioner in an adult community psychology team. They are currently training on the Clinical Psychology Doctorate at the University of Surrey.
Fauzia is passionate about representing trainee clinical psychologists who form an integral part of the profession. Fauzia has a particular interest in widening access to clinical psychology and service user involvement.