Dr Kaaren Knight

Principal Clinical Psychologist
KK Website Picture
I qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 2002 and specialise in working with children and families. I have worked in several child and adolescent mental health teams within the NHS, including a team for looked after children.

I am experienced in offering psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention to address a range of mental health presentations and draw on a variety of therapeutic approaches in my clinical work. I value the expertise of parents in working with young people and aim to take a family approach to solving a child’s difficulties wherever possible. I have a post-graduate qualification in family therapy to support my work in this regard.

During my time in child and adolescent mental health services I developed an interest in working with difficulties associated with attachment and trauma. Between 2009-2016 I was employed as the lead psychologist in a hospital-based specialist Child Protection Service and paediatric Sexual Assault Referral Centre. I provided assessment and direct therapeutic support to vulnerable children and their families, working alongside multi-disciplinary professionals to develop and clearly communicate a psychological understanding of a young person’s presentation.  In this post I developed an expertise in working with sexually abused young people and their safe carers.
I have worked as an associate psychologist with Conatus since 2017.  I have a particular interest in working with adopted children and their families and offer both specialist psychological assessments and a range of attachment-focused interventions to this population.  I also work with young people presenting with emotional and mental health difficulties and have an interest in the social determinants of mental health difficulties, particularly those relating to young women.  I offer consultation and training to multi-agency professionals on a range of topics. I am passionate about maintaining a reflective and evidenced based clinical practice both through my own clinical supervision and by providing this to others.

Working with children and families is a great privilege, and I enjoy both the challenges and rewards this work can offer. In supporting young people and their families to understand and address their difficulties I hope to bring to light their inherent skills and strengths and build their resilience for the future.
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