ABOUT US
We train you to deliver our 'Team of Life - Resilience Programme'
About Us
"Enabling people to find a place on the ‘riverbank’ of their lives, which means finding a sense of hope and safety from which to respond to their troubles, trauma or hardship"
Riverbank Psychology is a team of highly experienced and dedicated clinical psychologists and educational professionals working with practitioners, teams and organisations to promote mental health and resilience. We believe that resilience is not just a mindset or a quality we possess as individuals but is connected to our social context and is built through our connections with others, the important people in our lives and the networks of support around us. We offer training, supervision and coaching underpinned by Narrative Therapy, an approach to community practice that pays attention to people’s social and cultural experience as well as their emotions and behaviours. We do this by working collaboratively and in partnership with people, building stories which emphasise their personal agency and the resources available within their relationships, families, school or workplace and local communities.
Dr Vicky Eames
Consultant clinical psychologist and co-founder of Riverbank Psychology
Dr Vicky Eames studied and worked as a clinical psychologist within adult mental health services in London before moving to Cheshire & Wirral Parnership NHS Foundation Trust in 2002, where she worked for many years within both adult and child & adolescent mental health services. Having worked within the mental health field in the NHS and independently for 30 years she is passionate about exploring ways of responding to trauma and developing resilience within community settings. Inspired by the work of David Denborough, Vicky trialled the Team of Life Collective Narrative Practice approach in schools and mental health services on the Wirral, leading to the development of the Team of Life Resilience Programme and Facilitator Training.
Mariangels Ferrer
Clinical psychologist and co-founder of Riverbank Psychology
Mariangels Ferrer qualified as a psychologist in Spain in 1993 and has lived and worked in the UK for over 20 years including ten years in NHS inpatient and community paediatric settings. Alongside this she has completed master's degrees in both Systemic Family Therapy and Narrative Therapy and Community Work. Mariangels offers training and supervision of practitioners in narrative and systemic practice across the UK as part of the teaching faculty of the Institute of Narrative Therapy. She has delivered groups in schools in Trafford utilising the 'Tree of Life' and is engaging genetic counsellors from different parts of the UK with narrative ideas through supervision, group intervention and training. She has been instrumental in the development and delivery of the Team of Life training, particularly helping to tease out the narrative therapy framework behind the programme.
Robin Johnson
Undergraduate degree in psychology as well as a PGCE in mathematics
Robin Johnson has spent over 25 years teaching maths in secondary schools, alongside pastoral care and senior leadership positions and experience delivering whole school training. He has been a form teacher for most of his teaching career as well as a Head of Year, Head of Department and Assistant Headteacher. He is also the author of a children’s novel called Red Sky at Night in which ginger children save the world from alien invasion. He recently completed his Level One Narrative Therapy Training, which was a bit of a departure from his day job teaching maths but very relevant to his pastoral work. He has been involved in the development of the Team of Life programme from the outset, bringing his teaching and pastoral experience to ensuring the feasibility of delivery in schools.
Mandy Phillips
dedicated educator and psychologist with over a decade of experience in teaching, training, and communication
Mandy Phillips holds an MSc in Psychology, MA in Education, and PGCE in English, she excels in applying psychological principles to develop effective communication and positive learning environments. Mandy’s career has been defined by her ability to connect with individuals at all levels, from students to senior leaders. Her expertise in analysing behaviour, understanding emotional needs, and implementing evidence-based strategies allows her to develop inclusive approaches that support both individual and organisational growth. A confident and empathetic communicator, Mandy tailors her methods to engage diverse audiences, whether delivering training, facilitating discussions, or mentoring professionals.
Our Mission, Our Heritage
Our mission is for all children and young people in the UK to have the opportunity to take part in Team of Life; ensuring they have a sense of connected identity and know they are not alone but have a team around them to help.
While working towards our mission at home we are also keen to acknowledge the heritage of Team of Life and those who have paved the way for our Team of Life work here in the UK. The Team of Life began in Southern Africa in work that the Dulwich Centre Foundation was doing with former child soldiers. A percentage of proceeds therefore go to support ongoing work by the Dulwich Centre with communities in Africa.
Involvement Team
Young people have been involved in the development of our programme at all stages. Early on, teams of young people who took part in pilot groups helped us to adapt Team of Life into a resilience programme, advising us on the appeal and helpfulness of the activities. This included REAL Royalty from The Mosslands School and the 7 Up Team, a group of service users from Wirral CAMHS. More formal qualitative interviews with 30 Year 7 children also gave us invaluable feedback on what was working well or not so well when the programme was delivered by educational professionals in their school. Our current involvement team help to review updates to our programme and provide ongoing feedback.
Theo McAndrew is currently studying for his A-levels. His passion is rugby and he currently plays at school and in the U18 Sale Sharks Academy. He hopes to play professionally in the future and his next goal is to study Economics and play rugby for a university team.
Grace Robinson is currently studying for a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Performing Arts, specialising in Dance. Dance is her passion and she also loves baking and spending time with her family. Her goal is to travel the world through her dance career.
Flynn McEvilly is currently studying for his GCSE's. His hobbies are playing football, watching his favourite team Arsenal play and editing videos. He thinks it's important to have a useful skill and he has learned a lot about editing videos. Now he can edit anything and it's something he enjoys doing.
Our Partners and Clients
We have trained practitioners from services and organisations from a range of sectors including the NHS, Education and Third Sector. Some of our partners and clients include:
