Meet our Herbalists and Therapists
Robyn James MNIMH Medical Herbalist
Robyn is a highly experienced herbal practitioner and herbal educator. She has been in practice as a medical herbalist in Sheffield since 1998. Her particular interest is in the use of herbs to treat hormone problems, especially thyroid imbalance.
Robyn is currently programme leader for the Open University BSc(Hons) Herbal Medicine course at Lincoln College.
Geoffrey Soma MNIMH Medical Herbalist
Geoffrey moved to Sheffield in 2017 after working as a medical herbalist in London for over 15 years. He has a special interest in digestive disorders and gall bladder disease.
He is also experienced in practical herbal medicine for acute illness and is trained as an Emergency Responder. He regularly practises these skills at festival herbal first aid clinics such as at Glastonbury and the Green Gathering.
Geoffrey is keen to promote simple & effective herbal remedies for the whole family.
Carol Burnett MNIMH Medical Herbalist
I have great faith in the capacity of the human body and mind to heal itself, and in the power of herbs to assist this process.
I have used herbs for both First Aid situations and chronic conditions with great success and know them to be powerful and effective medicine. I get a lot of satisfaction from helping someone take charge of their health whether that means solely using herbs of integrating their use with prescribed medicines and the work of other health care professionals
I was lucky enough to study for a BSc in Herbal Medicine at Lincoln University and have been a full time Herbalist ever since. To me being an Herbalist is a way of life not just a career and includes growing and gathering from the wild many of the herbs that I use to make the tinctures, teas and creams that I use in practice.
Dr Phil Deakin BSc Hons (Sheffield & Lincoln) MB ChB MCPP MNIMH Medical Herbalist
After graduating in physiology and medicine, Phil practiced family medicine as a GP in Sheffield for thirty-four years. A growing interest in plant-based holistic care resulted in an honours degree in Herbal Medicine at Lincoln College. Expecting to emerge as a doctor with additional skills in herbal medicine, he is now proud to realise that he is a herbalist with previous experience of general practice.
Still working as a locum doctor, he practices an integrated approach to herbal medicine and is particularly interested in helping those who need to combine a herbal approach with their conventional medical treatment.
With this unique background he is keen to promote herbal medicine and develop local and national collaboration with other healthcare professionals.
Melvin Timm Acupuncturist
Traditional acupuncture treats the whole person. It is well known for pain relief and is used for much more as well. This includes a wide range of physical problems and also emotional or mental health issues. Acupuncture has a lot of research evidence to support its use for a wide range of conditions.
My acupuncture treatments are based on Chinese medicine principles that have been researched and refined for over 2000 years. Acupuncture regulates the flow of qi around the body through pathways called meridians. In recent years medical scientists have discovered myofascial pathways that follow the meridians recorded by the early acupuncturists. The concept of qi itself may overlap with developing knowledge of how cells in the body communicate..
Kirsty Anderson Amatsu Therapist
Kirsty's interest in amatsu grew out of her desire to empower people in their innate ability to heal and keep themselves well while facing the challenges of the modern world. This started as an interest in herbal medicine, and eventually turned in to an exploration of the healing mechanism itself, which can be reawakened or strengthened through direct touch.
Amatsu is grounded in the Japanese martial art Taijutsu, which emphasises "natural" movement; the balanced body moving well - with freedom and connectivity - amatsu strives to re-educate the body itself back to a state of dynamic balance. The body/heart/mind are not separate and are worked together, as such psychological as well as physical trauma can be addressed. Any patterns of dis-ease in the body systems can be worked out, including in digestive/nervous systems as well as the musculoskeletal systems.
An amatsu treatment lasts approximately 45mins, and is done through non restrictive clothing.
Hannah Cussen Massage Therapist
Hannah’s welcoming approach blends her scientific background with her heart-centred wisdom. Her rich training encompasses a wealth of medical and people-centred techniques.
Hannah attended Sheffield medical school for three years, leaving with a degree in Medical Science. Since then, she has been driven to find ways to further this training and support health in ways often deemed alternative. Hannah trained in holistic massage at the Sheffield Centre for Massage Training and developed her skills with Indian head massage at the Bristol School of Massage and Bodywork. Most recently she is gaining a degree in Herbal Medicine at Lincoln College and hoping to unite her love of people and plants.
This portfolio of studying and experience is ever expanding and creating richer experiences for her clients. During her massage sessions she brings her knowledge, kindness and techniques together through her skilled hands, and takes a gentle responsibility for the space that is held during the treatment.
Dr Sarah Wallis Clinical Psychologist
I qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 2000 and as a Cognitive Analytic Therapist (CAT) in 2008. I have worked in the NHS for over 20 years and have also worked for several years as an independent psychotherapist. Early in my training I found that the dominant focus on changing thoughts in order to change feelings did not fit with my observations of how emotions are experienced in the body, and overlooked the importance of unseen and unconscious processes. I was therefore drawn to Cognitive Analytic Therapy which I found to be an accessible, adaptable, collaborative and effective model to enable people to make changes in their lives by bringing unconscious processes into awareness. I have recently been able to pursue a long standing interest in healing plants through the Heartwood foundation course in herbal medicine; this has confirmed to me the importance of the connections between mind, body and the natural world, and I aim to use a holistic approach in my work with psychological difficulties.
I have worked in community mental health teams, an early intervention in psychosis service, an acute psychiatric hospital, physical and sexual health settings, and in a psychological support service for NHS staff. My main clinical experience is in working with people who experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships, complex psychological presentations and the interconnectedness of physical and psychological difficulties.
Ruby R.J. Berridge Nutritionist
Ruby has been a practising nutritionist since retraining 2015, having previously worked in healthcare. She is qualified in naturopathic, therapeutic and clinical nutrition, allergenic nutrition, children’s nutrition, plant based nutrition and eating psychology as well as other health related fields. Ruby is also a referral practitioner for The Quantum Clinic (functional medicine clinic, specialising in cancers).
“Having worked in healthcare, including over five year’s nutritional training, I have seen the great results a change of diet can make. I have a specific interest in children’s and women’s health, auto-immunity and digestive conditions and cancers”
For more information see: www.berrinutritious.com