Meet the Team

Systemisk Psychology is formed of experienced, HCPC registered Psychologists all with a minimum of 5 years clinical experience in working with high complexity client populations. All have worked within Public or Private sector services within leadership, managerial & consultancy roles.

As HCPC registered Psychologists, we are required to engage in Continued Professional Development (CPD), which is audited by the HCPC on a bi-annual basis. This ensures that the Psychologist you work with remains informed of emerging scientific advances in wellbeing approaches and treatment.

  • Nina Preston

    Clinical Director & Founder

    BSc [Hons], MSc, C.Psychol, C.Sci, AFBPsS

    NHS Consultant Forensic Psychologist, HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist, BPS Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Scientist with the Science Council, and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

    Nina is a HCPC registered Psychologist with over 15 years clinical experience in working with complex needs including; trauma, neurodiversity, and mental health comorbidities. In addition to her training as a Psychologist, she has undertaken further training in a number of therapeutic approaches, to enhance her clinical expertise and practice, including: Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), for children, adolescents and adults, and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) for family therapy. Within her practice she routinely applies a range of therapeutic approaches to provide an individualised approach to her work.

    Nina advocates for holistic approaches to compassionate living and ensuring there is equity in mental health care being available to all. She has worked within public sector services for many years, working with people of all ages, cultures, social capital, and needs. This has equipped her with the knowledge, experience and training required to engage, assess and help young people and adults for whom trauma, neurodevelopmental needs, mental health conditions and environmental and relational instability, are actively impacting their lives.

    Nina’s career has required her to be creative when working with organisations, particularly in relation to affordable and accessible wellness support for employees. Having worked in chronically underfunded and under-resourced services, wellbeing support has needed to be integrated within core business activities, without a budget. Consultancy on ‘psychologically informed environments’ is where Nina holds expertise, having a number of published journal articles in this field.

    Nina is a promoter of trauma informed approaches, be it for an individual or organisation, which is why these factors sit at the core of Systemisk Psychology.

  • Aiveen Smith

    Clinical Director

    BSc [Hons], MSc, C.Psychol, AFBPsS

    HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist, BPS Chartered Psychologist, and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

    Aiveen has been a HCPC registered and BPS Chartered Psychologist since 2012. She works with adolescents and adults, bringing extensive experience of supporting people with wide-ranging and complex psychological needs. She offers an individualised, evidence-based approach, helping people make sense of their difficulties and develop practical ways to move forward.

    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is central to Aiveen’s work. Her approach helps people respond more flexibly to difficult thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and take meaningful action guided by what matters to them. She is a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), supporting her continued professional development and connection with advances in this field.

    Aiveen works both with people experiencing complex difficulties, and those who feel stuck or disconnected from the life they want to lead. She has a particular interest in helping people bridge the gap between understanding their difficulties and making lasting changes in everyday life. This may include people who have found previous therapy helpful but want support to translate that understanding into sustained action.

    Aiveen’s background in forensic psychology informs her ability to work thoughtfully with complexity, make sense of challenging information, and understand people within the wider systems surrounding them. She brings this experience to her work with organisations and people in demanding roles, offering psychological support, consultancy, training, supervision and reflective practice. Her work helps individuals and teams navigate challenges, consider their responses and act in keeping with their values.

    At the heart of Aiveen’s practice is a belief that, even in difficult circumstances, people can develop new ways of responding to challenges and build lives with greater meaning and fulfilment.

  • Poppy Cornell

    Clinical Care Coordinator

    Poppy has over 15 years’ experience in administration and has worked in a variety of sectors including financial, legal, manufacturing and education. High quality customer service has always been the focus throughout Poppy’s career and she is the initial, welcoming point of contact at Systemisk Psychology.

Our Associates

Our Associates are located across the locality of North, West and South Yorkshire.

Within our free, 20 minute, no obligation consultation we will help identify the most suitable Psychologist for you, based on your needs.

Our carefully selected Psychology team are primarily Forensic Psychologists, meaning their training and expertise are in working with high complexity needs and trauma. Many of our Psychologists have also undertaken training in additional therapeutic approaches, further enhancing their clinical expertise.

All our Psychologists engage in 1:1 and peer supervision with Aiveen and Nina, ensuring consistency in the delivery of a quality service.

Jo Cheetham – Forensic Psychologist (HCPC Registered)

Jo is a HCPC-registered Forensic Psychologist with over 14 years of experience providing psychological assessments and evidence-based interventions across community, inpatient, and secure settings. She has worked extensively with a diverse range of client groups, including young people, adult males and females, and individuals with learning disabilities, mental illness, and personality disorders.

Jo is passionate about supporting people to make sense of and manage painful and complex thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. She helps clients to break free from patterns of psychological distress and build a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Jo is qualified in the use of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, an evidence-based and effective treatment for trauma and other distressing life experiences.

Known for her warm and compassionate approach, Jo fosters a trusting therapeutic relationship where clients feel safe, heard, and supported. She works collaboratively to develop a shared understanding of a client’s difficulties and supports them in setting goals and guiding the pace and direction of therapy.

Jo tailors her approach to meet the unique needs of each individual, often integrating a range of therapeutic models including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI).

Dr Cheri Fletcher – Clinical Psychologist (HCPC Registered)

Cheri is a highly experienced Clinical Psychologist registered with the HCPC (Health Care Professions Council) since 2018. She has over 17 years NHS experience working in NHS mental health services, and since qualifying has predominantly worked in child and family services, including within the Local Authority (Child Protection and Looked After Children Services), where she has supported children, young people and their families to stay together, and supported their mental health.

Cheri has worked with individuals and families across the lifespan (from infancy to older adults), but holds considerable experience in working with children, young people and their parents/carers/families.

Cheri holds specialisms in working with trauma/developmental trauma, and her approach is often informed by modalities such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing), Narrative Therapy, DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy), Systemic Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy.

Cheri holds the ethos that families and individuals are experts of their own experiences, and uses a collaborative approach to help bring tools/guidance to help individuals/families break free from recurring patterns that may bring a sense of distress, or feelings of being stuck.

Jennifer Copley – Forensic Psychologist (HCPC Registered) and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) therapist

Jen is a HCPC registered forensic psychologist with over ten years post-qualification practice. She has experience of working with adults, children, families, and the systems that surround them, to understand and work through complexities that may impact their lives. This may include trauma, attachment disruption, neurodivergence, mental health needs and community influences. 

Jen uses a holistic, flexible approach to foster a trusting therapeutic relationship where clients can feel heard, understood and accepted. Jen is particularly influenced by Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), which promotes acceptance, curiosity and empathy at the centre of all interactions to promote healing through relationships.  

In addition to her psychology training, Jen has undertaken further training to build her clinical expertise; this has included Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Progressing Counting (PC) and Motivational Interviewing (MI). 

Jen has also worked within CAMHS and education services, supporting children and their families to navigate assessment needs, such as ADHD and ASC assessments, and understand EHCP processes.