Story Series: Emma Walton
I’m Emma, and I’m a mental health nurse and psychotherapist.
I’ve worked within the field of mental health for over 15 years and have worked for SLaM for 11 years, predominantly within the specialist area of eating disorders.
I’ve always been interested in people. Being curious about their experience, understanding what makes them tick and being able to help someone feel understood is the principal reason I decided to train to become a mental health nurse and later, to train in Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) and eventually become a CAT Psychotherapist.
This training was a transformational experience, and I would recommend it to anyone (especially nurses!) interested in understanding themselves and others differently and be able to offer more to the therapeutic relationship. The most important learning for me however, has always been from patients. I have also learnt so much from the people I have met and worked with over the years and these encounters have been a real privilege.
I’ve always felt proud to work within SLaM, and I like being able to work within the boroughs and communities that I also live within, and to serve the community through working alongside the patients I meet. The Trust’s geographical catchment area is also huge and covers a hugely diverse population - which for me, offers an enormously rich clinical experience.
My nursing career has offered me lots of exciting opportunities over the years - the opportunity to work in different localities and clinical settings, including social services, CAMHS, within a clinical research team and within specialist clinical services. Becoming a scholar of the Florence Nightingale Foundation has been a particular highlight, as well as the opportunity to travel internationally within my nursing role, including Brazil and the United States.
