Dr Gill SH Walker - Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist & Supervisor

Specific Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia and ADHD

At the Dyslexia Research Clinic in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Royal Berkshire Hospital's Orthoptic Department, I worked with Dr John Stein and Dr Sue Fowler where we researched the low level visual and auditory processing skills as they vary across primary school children and within Dyslexic and ADHD children requiring orthoptic assessment and intervention.   As part of this, I examined the effects of coloured filters on low level visual processing in children with Dyslexia who report visual unusual visual distortions while reading, such as letter jiggling or moving when they try to read.

I worked with Dr Alex Richardson of FAB research to see what the impact of omega-3 and omaga-6 supplementation is on the low level visual processing, reading and writing of ADHD children and adults. 

As a business psychologist I focussed on improving workplace performance, leadership capabilities, and employee engagement, Conducting Psychometric Assessments to measure cognitive abilities, personality, and motivations; Delivering 360-Degree Feedback; providing Executive Coaching, help them navigate change, improve strategy, and resolve conflicts; Role profiling and recruitment.  

Natural Justice, Cumbria

I worked at Natural Justice, Cumbria alongside Dr Bernard Gesch examining how good nutrition (supplementing with omega-3, omega-6, full range minerals and vitamins) can have a remarkably positive effect on the behaviour of juvenile offenders at HM Young Offenders Unit Aylesbury.  

Rampton Secure Hospital – The Peaks Unit

I worked at The Peaks Unit, Rampton Secure Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility in the UK that historically operated specialised units for Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD). The  classification ‘DSPD’ was a specialised administrative and clinical category used to manage and treat high-risk individuals who presented an imminent threat of violence but did not fit the traditional legal definitions of a "treatable mental illness”. 

The DSPD service at Rampton, housed in specialized facilities like The Peaks Unit, catered to individuals presenting severe antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, and paranoid traits. Characteristics of patients in this program included 

• Severe recidivism risk
• Co-occurring psychopathy.
• Previous incarceration within Category A and B prison systems.

Interventions I delivered included:

• An adapted format of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), adapted from the standard outpatient DBT model to individuals detained in a high-secure environment.  
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TF-CBT) to support trauma psychoeducation, emotional regulation, safer coping, and the processing of traumatic experiences, as patients presented with complex trauma histories arising from adverse childhood experiences, interpersonal violence, neglect, institutionalisation, imprisonment, loss, and other significant life events;
• The Reinforce Appropriate, Implode Destructive (RAID) which served as the primary positive behavioural reinforcement framework.  
• Stop & Think is a cognitive-behavioral, social problem-solving therapy (McMurran 2001) Helps overcome impulsive, destructive behaviors by guiding them through structured, step-by-step decision making.

Neurology and Brain Injury Service

At the Neurology and Brain Injury Service of the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, I provided:

• Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments
• Cognitive rehabilitation
• Psychological interventions to support adults experiencing the psychological and behavioural effects of brain injury

Assessment services for cognitive and neuropsychological functioning arising from brain injury can be discussed on an individual basis.

Community Learning Disability Team

I provided:

• Psychotherapy adapted to the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities
• Positive behavioural support for individuals displaying challenging behaviour
• Precise, nuanced capacity assessments tailored to specific functional areas, promoting least restrictive practices  to maximise individual autonomy, in accordance with the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act for the English and Welsh Court of Protection, equivalent to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).    

I was also Project Lead for Outcome Measures, designing treatment outcome measures and collecting and reporting service efficacy data for clients with intellectual disabilities.

I volunteered with Berkshire Women's Aid, providing therapeutic and psychological support to women escaping domestic violence.

This involved supporting clients through the entire process, from planning to leave, through refuge accommodation, and into rebuilding and resettling their lives.

As a founding director of Community Action Development, I provided psychotherapy to clients returning to the community following inpatient drug and alcohol treatment.

The organisation has since evolved into Oxford Community Action (OCA).