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About Me

 

Hi, I'm Dr Laura Bennett. Founder of Oasis Psychology and a Clinical Psychologist with 25 years experience of supporting vulnerable children and their families.

I created Oasis Psychology to provide support to children with attachment need and developmental trauma, through working with the systems around them. I have a fantastic team of Clinicians who work with me, providing brilliant support. 

Oasis Psychology is founded on both evidence based practice and many years experience of supporting children in care, both in the NHS and in independent settings. Our vision is a therapeutic service, which can holistically meet the needs of the families we support and the professionals working with them.

All the clinicians working for Oasis Psychology are passionate about providing systemic support to ensure children who have not been afforded a positive start in life get the help they need.

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Meet The Team

Oasis Psychology is based in Dorset and offers support to children and families throughout the UK, who have experienced developmental trauma and have attachment needs.

We work with Local Authorities, Adoption Agencies, Residential Homes, Fostering Agencies and Alternative Education Provisions across the country to provide systemic support through Reflective Practice, Superivision, Assessment and Training.

We are able to offer both face to face and online services.

Dr Laura Bennett

Director and Clinical Psychologist 

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Dr Laura Dixie

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

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Dr Jo Coldwell

Clinical Psychologist    (online only)

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Pip Eversden

 Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner

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Dr Laura Bennett
Clinical Psychologist & Clinical Director

Hi, I’m Laura Bennett, a Clinical Psychologist with 17 years’ experience of working in the NHS.

When I was 17 I spent part of my summer volunteering on a project in Jersey, which allowed children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have a holiday, many for the first time. Each volunteer was assigned a child to mentor/befriend and the week was filled doing fun activities.

On that first holiday project I learnt so much about myself. I came home exhilarated, having loved the time I had spent with these damaged, yet amazing children. I didn’t know at the time, but many of these children had attachment needs and suffered with complex developmental trauma, but to me they were just children who needed a friend more than most.

I returned to Jersey every summer for another 6 years and when I had finished my psychology degree, I decided that I wanted to focus my career on working with children like those on that holiday project. I took a post as an Assistant Psychologist in a team for Children in Care and began the long path to becoming a Clinical Psychologist.

Now, with 25 year career supporting chidlren with trauma, I still believe these are children who need a friend more than most. I hope that the work I provide can help them find not only a friend but can help them to build long lasting nurturing relationships with people who care.

 

I understand that children who come to see me are frightened of the world and relationships and people who wish to get close to them; they are that small boy who hid under the table in Jersey when too many people wanted to say hi.

I understand that parents and carers are exhausted by the demands of caring for these children with all the demands they bring. I felt that exhaustion after just one week in Jersey, never mind years of caring and advocating for these children.

I understand the pressures of working with these families, in a system that is underfunded and under-resourced and know how frustrating it can be.

In setting up Oasis Psychology my aim was to provide a service for children with trauma and attachment needs where children’s anxieties could be understood, where parents, carers and professionals' frustrations can be heard and which allows me to combine my knowledge and experience with my passion for working with this amazing group of children, to really try and make a difference to the lives of families.

Qualifications and Professional Training

Laura specialises in assessment, reflective practice and supervision, she also provides VIG with families.

Laura works from our Wimborne therapy rooms but has some availability to travel if needed and can also offer online appointments for carers and professionals.

Dr Laura Dixie

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Hi, I’m Laura, and I’m passionate about supporting families to create safe, nurturing environments where children can thrive. I’ve spent the last 13 years working in the NHS, specializing in therapeutic parenting support and helping looked-after and adopted young people who have experienced complex trauma.

Throughout my career, I’ve provided training to parents and professionals on topics like trauma, attachment, therapeutic parenting, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, children displaying harmful sexual behaviours, and children’s body image and eating. I also worked closely with professional networks in social care, education, and the voluntary sector, offering consultation to ensure that the care children receive is truly trauma-informed and sensitive to their unique needs.

I strongly believe in working holistically with the whole system around a child—family, school, social workers, and more—because every part of a child’s world shapes their sense of safety and belonging. By bringing everyone together, we can build consistent, supportive relationships for children across all areas of their lives.

My therapeutic approaches include Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), mentalization-based approaches, Video Interaction Guidance, and Systemic Family Therapy. I tailor my work to meet the needs of each family and their unique circumstances, always with warmth, curiosity, and a commitment to creating positive change.

Outside of work, I enjoy running, reading and spending time with my family.

Laura works part time within the NHS and has availability to see clients on a Friday, with occasional availability on other days on a case by case basis.

Qualifications and Professional Training

  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
  • DDP Level 1 & 2 trained 
  • VIG Practitioner (completing supervised practice) 
  • Systemic Therapist - Intermediate Level 
  • Mentalization-based Practice for Foster Carers & Adopters (Anna Freud) 

    HCPC registered no PYL29936

  • Enhanced DBS

Laura is based in the Bristol area and therefore works online.

Dr Jo Coldwell
Clinical Psychologist

Hi, I’m Jo Coldwell and I’m a Clinical Psychologist. I’ve been working with children who have experienced trauma and their parents/carers and other important adults for over fifteen years, both in the NHS and in independent practice.

My training included lots of different models of therapy which I continue to draw on now, but it wasn’t until I first started working in a specialist CAMHS teams for children in foster care that I came across the models of attachment, developmental trauma and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) that I use in my work now and everything fell into place! The children, families and professionals that I’ve had the privilege of working with helped me grow my understanding of how best to use these ideas to truly undertand the needs of families.

I am passionate about supporting parents and carers – parenting in the modern world can be hard at the best of times, and parenting children who have experienced trauma can often feel confusing and exhausting, especially when you feel unsupported. Understanding what goes on for us as parents and carers in those tricky moments is also key, and I really enjoy coming alongside parents and carers to explore this further.

It is important to me to really think about what is going on “underneath the iceberg” of children’s behaviour -to understand the fears, anxieties and needs that often lead to behaviour that is confusing or difficult to respond to, and which all too often make it harder for children to get what they need most from the adults around them.

In my role at Oasis Psychology I offer online therapeutic parenting support. I work part time in a specialist NHS service and so I am available on Mondays and Wednesdays during school hours, although I can also offer evening or weekend sessions if needed.

Qualifications and Professional Training

  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
  • DDP Level 1& 2 trained and currently undertaking the Practicum to become certified.
  • HCPC registered no PYL04385
  • Enhanced DBS

Jo is based in East Sussex and therefore works solely online.

Pip Eversden
Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner

Hi, I’m Pip Eversden. I am a Social Worker with 10 years experience of working in Social Care and health. My interest and passion for supporting children and young people led me to start my journey in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy.

I am trained in Level 1 & 2 DDP and have completed postgraduate training in psychological therapies for children and young people at Sussex University.

I am able to offer direct work with children and young people who have experienced developmental trauma, using the principles of DDP.

By building safe and trusting relationships with children and young people, they are able to start to explore their feelings, thoughts and beliefs and make sense of their behaviours.

Through the therapeutic relationship, children and young people can start to connect and trust and the negative view they have of themselves can start to shift, opening them up to the possibility of nurturing and healing relationships.

I really enjoy making sessions fun and engaging and relevant to the young person and I use a variety of creative resources to offer bespoke sessions.

I have a particular interest in working with older teenagers and care leavers who often need space and time to form relationships with people and I believe that DDP principles are particularly beneficial for connecting with this client group.

I have lived in Dorset most of my life and love living near the sea. Outside of work, I enjoy trying new things and recently had a go at Curling!

Qualifications and Professional Training

  • MA Social Work
  • DDP Level 1 & 2
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Low-Intensity Psychological Therapies for Children and Young People.
  • BUSS Level 1
  • Enhanced DBS
  • Registered with Social Work England Reg no SW99725

Pip usually works from our therapy room in Dorchester, however, she has some availability to travel for appointments if needed.