Meet Our Team

We are a group of well experienced registered and chartered Clinical dnd Counselling Psychologists with a common goal to provide high quality, specialist, person-centred and bespoke psychological services to improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of the people in our local communities.

Dr David Ankers
Clinical Psychologist and Company Director

Dr David Ankers is chartered and registered clinical psychologist specialising in the area of children, adolescents and families. He is currently working in private practice providing clinical assessment and therapy to children, young people, families and adults with a range of mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety, behavior concerns, attachment difficulties and developmental trauma. He also provides support and consultations to residential care homes and schools.

He has worked with children, adolescents and adults with mental health presentations and developmental disorders. He has worked in various settings including CAMHS, specialist autism services, children’s disability services and services for children and young people in care. He specialises working with complex cases as well assessment of Autism and Learning Disability.

He has held clinical and leadership roles in both the NHS and private healthcare. He has worked as a qualified psychologist for over 15 years within a range of settings including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, children’s disability services, services for looked-after children, a specialist Autism assessment and support service and mental health in schools services.

He has also worked as a UK-based trainer for an internationally recognised organisation, delivering training on evidenced-based parenting interventions for professionals across the UK.

Dr Monika Ankers
Clinical Psychologist

Dr Monika Ankers is a chartered and registered Clinical Psychologist specialising in work with children, adolescents, parents and carers, families and adults, with a range of complex clinical needs and presentations. She has 20 years of experience working in the NHS in various clinical settings prior to independent practice. She is currently working in private practice continuing to provide these specialist psychological assessments, formulation and interventions.

She has worked with children, young people, families, parents and carers, and adults with various complex clinical mental health presentations including anxiety, depression, psychosis, PTSD, attachment and relational difficulties, developmental trauma and behavioural concerns. As a qualified Clinical Psychologist, she has worked in various settings including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Early Intervention Psychosis, Youth Custody Service (YOI) and perinatal mental health (Mother and Baby Unit). She has also worked collaboratively with schools, residential settings, physical health clinics and in a maximum-security hospital.

Her work is informed by and integrates a range of psychological models and theories including attachment, cognitive, behavioural, systemic and narrative approaches, to offer a truly person-centred and bespoke approach for complex clinical presentations and systems. She has a particular interest in clinical applications of attachment theory across the life span, trauma-informed ways of working and relational and developmental trauma.

Dr Elicia Boulton
Counselling Psychologist

Dr Elicia Boulton is a registered counselling psychologist who specialises in working with neurodivergent adolescents and young adults, their families and the systems they are part of. She is currently starting work in private practice to provide clinical assessment and therapy to young people, families and adults presenting with a range of mental health difficulties (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, OCD, attachment difficulties).

Dr Elicia Boulton has worked with a range of client presentations in a variety of settings (e.g., NHS CAMHS, specialist college, pupil referral units, mainstream schools and colleges, autism assessment service, NHS staff counselling service). She has twelve years experience of working with neurodivergent clients in a therapeutic capacity and are extremely passionate about providing a neurodivergent affirming service.

She has a number of years experience working in schools and colleges, and alongside education staff to advocate for the needs of young people and their families. Being involved in EHCP meetings/reviews and providing input to support young people has been a regular part of Dr Boulton’s roles to date.

Dr Helen Walls
Clinical Psychologist

Dr Helen Walls is a Clinical Psychologist with specialist expertise in clinical assessment and therapy with children, young people and families. She works with a range of mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety, attachment difficulties and developmental trauma.

She is deeply passionate about emotional well-being across the population, with a particular focus on the younger generations. She has had extensive experience of assessment and psychological intervention to support children, young people and families to help them understand and overcome psychological adversity and achieve their potential. She is highly organised and diligent whilst maintaining a warm and empathic approach, essential for engagement with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. She is registered with relevant regulatory bodies.

Dr Cheryl Watkins

Counselling Psychologist

Dr Cheryl Watkins is a registered counselling psychologist currently working in independent practice. She has extensive experience of working with mental health and trauma as well as neurodevelopmental assessment. She has many years experience working with different client groups in the voluntary sector and in private practice. Cheryl offers assessment and intervention for adults, children and families in relation to a range of psychological needs.

Cheryl specialises in providing psychological assessments and therapeutic intervention to children and adults with a range of presenting needs in relation to difficulties such as: Anxiety, Attachment, Adjustment, Behavioural Problems, Bereavement, Depression, Emotional Distress, Personal Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Work related difficulties.

Cheryl has worked in a range of different settings including Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Youth Justice Services, Autism Diagnostic and interventions Services, secure settings, education facilities and residential care settings. Her areas of specialism relate to neurodevelopment assessment and interventions, trauma focused interventions and those individuals that have experienced adverse experience leading to forensic involvement or presenting with reduced emotional wellbeing or attachment difficulties.

Cheryl utilises an integrative approach across different therapeutic modalities, incorporating Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprogramming, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, centred through a Person Centred approach. Cheryl is trained in Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview ADI-R (Autism assessments).

Cheryl is a passionate in optimising individual’s wellbeing, through creating a safe, secure and warmth empathic space to facilitate personal growth for her clients to build on their individual skillsets and develop resiliency.

Care you can trust...

At Abacus Psychology all of our Psychologists have up to date DBS checks and are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council - the regulatory body for Practitioner Psychologists.