Carol Schoeman

My core interest has always been the developing human and the accompanying mind-brain expansion and potential. 

Due to my lifespan approach, I am able to trace and work with patterns of behaviour that have been established from early on, and explore how these impact on current functioning and future choice tendencies. 

Although people may experience isolated distress, their reactions are usually related to their composite whole - including environmental factors. 

My main task is to be able to assist a person to recognise various patterns of behaviour, and help them redefine or further develop loaded strengths in certain areas. 

I believe that everyone has a personality that’s unique, and they can use this individuality to progress and develop more effectively, experiencing more comprehensive functionality. 

I have various assessment and intervention tools that I have developed over my practice as a psychologist that encompass the very young to the adult. I would like to think that I work with vivacity, but a deep concern for the specific need level of the person.

Position at Priory

Clinical psychologist

• I am a chartered clinical psychologist registered with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). 

   

• Since qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 1991, in South Africa, I have been actively engaged in clinical practice. 

   

• In 1994, I came to England to study art therapy to complement my practice, and returned to South Africa. I then completed my statement of equivalence upon moving to England in 2001. 

   

• While in South Africa, I practised across the complete age spectrum, initially working within a child development/guidance service setting. 

   

• I was invited to join a private practice towards the end of 1995. Alongside this, I supported child and family social services with psychological assessment and intervention. Court assessments ran in conjunction with my practice. I held down a full-time practice mostly consisting of an individual client base across the life span. I developed strong working relationships with medical practices and legal professionals. I qualified in hypnotherapy and a number of developmental assessment techniques, and supported my psycho-neurological interests alongside my techniques in art therapy. 

   

• Being British-born I had registered with the BPS in the early 90s so, on returning to England, I completed the required statement of equivalence. After this, I began my professional venture within the Luton and Bedfordshire NHS Trust in 2000. 

   

• I worked within the child development and child mental health arena. 

   

• In 2003 - after being offered jobs in New Zealand, learning disabilities (Bedford) and children’s services (Bedford) - I moved to Canterbury to work with the South East NHS Trust – a dual role within paediatric/developmental services and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). 

   

• I also spread out into private practice, taking on an assessment and consultation role with the Kent County Council dual diagnosis team, stretching across childhood and late adolescence. In 2004, I began to work on a consultation basis at the Caldecott Foundation, a therapeutic residential facility for severely neglected and abused children. 

   

• In 2006 I left my NHS post and took up a consultant clinical psychologist post at the Caldecott Foundation – still continuing my links with the dual diagnosis team and private work - which sometimes involved court assessments. 

   

• In 2008, I was employed as a locum consultant psychologist within the field of older adults by the North West London Foundation Trust – the post of highly specialist clinical psychologist became permanent towards the end of 2009. Towards the end of 2010, I took up the post of highly specialist clinical psychologist within the South Essex Partner NHS Trust - sequestered out to Essex County Council – with the main purpose of compiling expert witness reports within the family context. I still maintained a private workload in Kent. 

   

• At the beginning of 2012, I took on local court assessment work generated by The Canterbury Psychological Clinic.