John Robinson
John Robinson, is a highly experienced professional operating as both a Specialist Counsellor and a Practice Development Facilitator. Drawing on his extensive history as a highly experienced and clinically innovative Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN), he possesses significant expertise in working with individuals experiencing psychosis. He is recognized as a conscientious, adaptable, thoughtful, and unassuming professional, valued for his excellent ability to put others at ease while simultaneously encouraging them to consider different points of view. John is particularly skilled at working autonomously and making sound clinical decisions based on rigorous assessments and best practice.
John’s clinical approach is built upon a foundation of continuous professional development and robust academic training. He holds both a Diploma in Integrative Counselling and a Postgraduate Certificate in the Theoretical Background of CBT for Psychosis, continually using this advanced knowledge to improve clinical practice. Furthermore, his specialized expertise extends to the principles of Open Dialogue, having achieved a Diploma in the Open Dialogue Foundation Course. This specialization allows him to undertake therapeutic work, including specialist 1:1 sessions and group facilitation, particularly for individuals who hear voices. Throughout his career, he has managed complex caseloads and provided a professional advisory service to service users, family members, and other clinicians in relation to mental health issues.
John holds a wide array of foundational and specialist certifications, including RGN, RMN, EN, a Diploma of Community Nursing (CPN), and a Postgraduate Certificate in the Education of Adults (PGCE(A) Registered Nurse Tutor). His career trajectory spans decades and includes senior roles within mental health services, such as serving as a Senior Mental Health Practitioner at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and working as a Practice Development Facilitator for the Response Organisation. Beyond his clinical and consultation work, John maintains a broad curiosity, with interests ranging from International, European, and National politics, to Medieval history, and Ecology and nature conservation. In his personal life, his dog is an incredibly important companion and provides essential support and balance outside of his demanding work.
As a Practice Development Facilitator, John is adept at developing and sustaining impactful service improvement projects. A significant achievement was the development and leadership of the innovative, borough-wide stand-alone Deptford Hearing Voices Services, a project which successfully secured continual funding between 1996 and 2015. His organizational efforts also include the co-production of successful initiatives like the Paranoia Peer Support Group (2013-2016) and the Southbrook Road Recovery Group (2012–2015). Moreover, he has successfully introduced and sustained professional development activities, such as Practice Reflection Groups and one-to-one Practice Reflection Sessions for staff across various teams. He also actively provides training and support to secondary mental health services, voluntary sector agencies, carers, local faith communities, and other relevant organizations, often providing specialist knowledge on engagement with people who hear voices as a long-standing guest co-lecturer.