Find an NVR Practitioner
Our global network of NVR practitioners offers support in multiple languages and specialties. Browse our directory below to find a therapist who is the right fit for you, with profiles to help you make an informed choice.
Dr. Peter Jakob
Location: UK
Languages: English and German
Kathelijne Van Dongen
Location: Netherlands
Languages: Dutch and English
Al Coates MBE
Location: UK
Languages: English
Barbara Borghetto
Location: UK
Languages: English & Italian
Margaret Gilbert
Location: Southern Ireland
Languages: English
Dr. Joanna North
Location: UK
Languages: English
Kerry Shoesmith
Location: UK
Languages: English
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Al Coates
Al adopted three children in 1999 with his wife and they then became foster to two children in 2008. They went on to adopt those children and their sibling in 2013. In 2013 Al qualified as a social worker and has worked in fostering since then and is now a Registered Manager of a Foster Care Agency.
He also works as an Independent Social Worker specialising in supporting parents, foster carers and special guardians managing challenging and aggressive behaviour and co-authored several publications on the topic. Al has also campaigned to raise issues in relation to adoption and continuously worked with the Department of Education (DfE) since 2015 as part of their Expert Advisory Group, the Adopter Reference Group and the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board.
He was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to Adoption. Al also trains across the sector including police, youth justice, education, social care and families in a broad range of associated issues and is an NVR advanced practitioner. Since qualifying Al has also been an active blogger and is the founder and co-host of “The Adoption & Fostering Podcast”.
Email: [email protected]Joanna North
Dr. Joanna North has worked in the field of Adoption and Looked After Children for thirty years. She is focussed on helping adoptive families and children live their best lives. Jo is an Associate of Haim Omer and the Non-Violent Resistant model of working and utilises this to help families throughout the United Kingdom. She has helped learnNVR by contributing to the online training.
Jo runs an Ofsted Registered Adoption Support Agency, and her work is rated as Outstanding. In 2017 she received the BPS Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in Practice Award based on her work in the field of adoption. Jo’s doctoral thesis focussed on helping to avoid family breakdown.
Email: [email protected]Barbara Borghetto
I bring over two decades of experience across Children & Families Services and the Youth Justice system, including residential, custodial, and community settings.
My practice is grounded in trauma-informed, relational approaches—particularly Non-Violent Resistance (NVR), which underpins all areas of my work. I specialise in parenting interventions, accredited programmes, and psychoeducation, especially with neurodivergent children and those with developmental or language delays.
I have specialist experience in domestic abuse, high parental conflict, substance misuse, and sexually harmful behaviour. I hold a Diploma in Probation Practice, a CBT Coaching Certificate, and I’m an accredited NVR Practitioner, Trainer, and Supervisor.
Email: [email protected]Margaret Gilbert
Margaret is an NVR practitioner, trainer and supervisor. Working internationally offering NVR and S.P.A.C.E interventions from Co. Kerry in Southern Ireland both in-person and online. Margaret is a co-founder of the NVR Family Support Hub Ireland where families can access NVR practitioners as well as other professionals that are NVR informed.
Margaret is passionate about the capacity of NVR to make real change in individuals, families, schools, and society.
She works 1-2-1 with families as well as in groups, offering NVR and S.P.A.C.E (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) intensive interventions/programs.
All programs/interventions are adapted and tailored to the specific challenges and needs of individual families.
Margaret embraces the adaptability of the programme to use in a creative way to address a multitude of challenges.
Area of Interest: CAVA, Self-destructive behaviour including school avoidance and substance abuse, the Highly Dependent, Adult-child that has "Yet to Launch", Family support, Neurodivergence inc ASD/ADHD/ADD/PDA, Foster & Adoptive families, Suicide ideation, Self harm, Anxiety & ARFID.
Margaret is a neurodiverse and trauma informed practitioner. Margaret is a Life & parent coach as well as an NVR practitioner and supervisor with over 26 years’ experience in working with families.
Email: [email protected]Dr Peter Jakob
With a background in social work, Peter has worked as a clinical psychologist and family therapist in both child and adolescent mental health services and in adult mental health for over 35 years, specialising in working with people who have experienced abuse and with children and families involved with child protective services.
Peter’s concern is for understanding the contexts in which peoples’ difficulties emerge and working towards social justice as a key underpinning of psychotherapy.
He has introduced Non Violent Resistance (NVR) to the UK and has adapted the approach for families that face multiple challenges and for adopted children and young people in foster- or residential care. His work with children who have experienced adversity has inspired him to develop a child focus in NVR.
Peter is a prolific national and international presenter. He is the author of Nonviolent Resistance in Trauma-Focused Practice: A Systemic Approach to Therapy and Social Care, Routledge, 2025.
Peter has played an important role in LearnNVR as a key contributor to the online training programs He also runs his own accredited training under his organisation https://www.connectivestrength.co.uk/
Peter is known for his caring and compassionate nature. With his many years in senior managerial and leadership roles, he understands how complex systems work and is skilled at helping families navigate these often confusing and challenging services.
Families who work with Peter quickly feel safe, supported, and confident in his guidance as he brings warmth, experience, and trustworthiness to every situation.
email: [email protected]
Kathelijne Van Dongen
In the most vulnerable moments, Kathelijne van Dongen stands alongside families, schools, and communities. With 27 years of experience in child and adolescent psychiatry and as founder of Healinq, she developed Safe Authority®, an evolution of Nonviolent Resistance and Connecting Authority, enriched with elements of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), designed for situations where lives are at stake.
Through relational safety, anchoring, and co-regulation, she supports parents, professionals, and networks to remain steadfast and lovingly present in the face of suicidal and self-harming behaviour. Her transdiagnostic approach reaches beyond diagnoses and contexts, addressing the universal human need for connection and safety.
As a partner of Haim Omer and Avremi Rosenberg, they develop accessible trainings together—both live and online—that bring the principles of Nonviolent Resistance to all domains of life: family, school, community, and the most complex, life-threatening situations. Her work shows that even in the deepest despair, connection can grow, and that love, courage, and steadfast presence can open the way back to life.
Email: [email protected]
Kerry Shoesmith
Kerry is a Pioneering Therapeutic Leader in High-Risk and Complex Care with over 20 years of experience in youth and community work, Kerry has a distinguished background in both voluntary and statutory services. She began her career in residential childcare in 2000, eventually managing and supporting home managers as a Director. Under her leadership, one home received Outstanding ratings from Ofsted for six consecutive years—a distinction achieved by only 22 out of 3,309 homes at that time.
​Kerry’s dedication to children and young people’s therapeutic support, led her to earn an MSc in CBT and Mental Health, enabling her to deliver direct therapeutic interventions to young people and provide clinical supervision to staff teams. Her work has significantly influenced therapeutic care planning, fostering environments where young people can heal from past trauma.
​In 2013, Kerry incorporated Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) into her practice after being introduced to the concepts by Dr Peter Jacob. This approach, combined with CBT and other therapeutic modalities, forms the foundation of her therapeutic methodology.
​As the UK's pioneering ReAttach trainer, Kerry continues to innovate in the field of therapeutic care, offering specialised services to organisations, families, children, and adults. Her commitment and expertise ensure that her services deliver the highest standard of support and intervention for those in need
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.cherrylanetherapeuticservices.co.uk