Dr Tania Pilley
Child and Adult Psychologist
Biography
When I was a child I struggled at school. I reliably came last or second to last in the end of year exams and day-dreamed through most of my lessons. I found maths completely pointless and this was confirmed by statements in my report saying ‘Tania finds this subject impossible’. Looking back on my school days, although I did not learn how to do a simultaneous equation my experience of failure has taught me how to become resilient, and although the teachers did not envisage a great academic future ahead I went on to exceed their expectations and my own.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”
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I left school and was encouraged to train as a nurse at UCL but did not enjoy manically being run off my feet, with barely having any time to really get to know patients. One of my placements during my training involved working on an inpatient ward in a psychiatric hospital in Cambridge.
I found the patients I worked with fascinating and enjoyed listening to their different ways of thinking about the world. When I completed my general nurse training I decided to train as a psychiatric nurse. In those days the prevailing model of care was to administer major tranquilisers and even ECT for the more extreme cases.
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Many of the drugs had terrible side effects and patients would be discharged only to return a few months down the line equally distressed and tormented. What we were offering as help seemed to be harming. I felt disillusioned and decided to go to travelling. The time spent travelling and working in mental health with people from different cultures enabled me to challenge my beliefs and consolidate my thinking. I decided to retrain as a Clinical Psychologist and face my own demons and fears of failing.
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This journey led not only to professional growth but personal growth, I realised my own self-limited beliefs because of my experience of childhood could either hold me back or enrich me. I met and have helped people who despite awful adversity and trauma have survived and triumphed. I believe the NHS model of care in mental health is unable to meet the ever-increasing demand for therapy. People often have to wait long periods of time to be seen and then the limited sessions they may be allocated often do not even begin to address their needs.
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Suicide rates continue to increase in both men and women and young people. I feel passionately that I want to empower people with the best available treatment and therapy by harnessing the latest technology and science. I do not want to be confined by institutional thinking.
Applying what we know about the brain through neuroscience and appreciating how the brain and body can repair when given the right method to facilitate healing is what rocks my boat and gives me a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement.
Dr. Tania Pilley
Child & Adult Psychologist
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"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them!"