Courtney is the founder of Altum Health. She began her private practice in 2005 in response to the demand for qualified and experienced private clinicians who specialise in eating disorders. Among her clients and colleagues, she has established a reputation for combining sound psychological techniques with creativity, humour, and a direct approach that inspires her clients to wellness.

Courtney is a Chartered Psychologist, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS), and is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). She is a member of the Counselling Psychology division of the BPS, as well as the Clinical Psychology division’s Faculty of Eating Disorders. She is a member and active supporter of the Eating Disorders Association (BEAT) and regularly contributes to the press on matters relating to eating disorders, obesity and body image problems. In addition to her role at Altum, she lectures in the Counselling Psychology Doctoral Programme at City University.

Courtney was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of a psychologist and a physician, she grew up with a keen interest in both mental and physical health. She initially considered studying medicine, but her first psychology course at University sparked a passion, and she went on to receive her BA (1997) and MA (1999) in psychology from Southern Methodist University (SMU). She moved to London in 2000, where she received her PhD (2003)  while working in an NHS Eating Disorders Service.

Courtney’s PhD work focused on families of women with eating disorders, and over the last 20 years, she has continued to develop her expertise in the area. She has had the advantage of working in an NHS multidisciplinary team specialising in eating disorders, allowing her the opportunity to work closely with allied health professionals to help create comprehensive and unified treatment plans. In addition to working individually, she has run numerous groups for women struggling with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, & Binge Eating Disorders.

While she is widely known for her work in eating disorders, Courtney also has experience working with more general mental health difficulties. She has worked in an NHS Psychological Assessment and Treatment Service, helping clients overcome anxiety, depression, and a wide range of mental health issues.

As a Counselling Psychologist, Courtney’s training is broad based. As an ISST Accredited  Advanced Schema Therapist and Supervisor, she enjoys working from this perspective. She is not, however, protocol driven, and integrates other approaches to create tailored treatment plans. She strongly believes that the therapeutic model comes second to process, and that the relationship between the therapist and their client is the most important factor in fostering change.

Committed to continued professional development, Courtney continues to train and receive specialist case supervision to broaden her clinical skills.  For example, Courtney has completed training   in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focussed Therapy, Mindfulness, Hypnotherapy, Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT), and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).  She is frequently brought in to consult on TV projects through Performers MOT.

On a personal note, Courtney has been married for 20 years and is the mother of two children and very loved Cockapoo called Luna.