Catherine Collin

About Catherine Collin

Catherine Collin is a clinical psychologist with a special interest in compassion focused approaches. She is Academic Director and Associate Professor at Plymouth University, recruiting and training clinical psychologists to the three year NHS doctoral programme. Catherine also works with an NHS Community mental health team as clinical psychologist and psychotherapist.

Areas of interest

  • Compassionate Leadership
  • Reflective Practice
  • EMDR and evidence based therapies
  • Trauma Informed practice
  • Social justice

More Info

Catherine brings a wealth of experience from academia, NHS and private practice. She is Associate Professor and Academic Director at Plymouth University clinical psychology doctoral programme. She is committed to increasing diversity in the Cornish psychological workforce, and is building a anti-racist, inclusive culture with service users at the heart of selection processes. In her work with the NHS she uses a client led approach, with formulation and compassionate approaches at the heart of her therapeutic practice. Catherine is also trained in mindfulness and EMDR and has a personal interest in existential psychotherapy.

Prior to working directly for the NHS, Catherine led a successful company for 20 years that delivered primary mental health contracts commissioned by NHS Kernow, including IAPT services, suicide postvention, ASD assessments and perinatal support to the Cornish community. Catherine says:

I was a participant in a Compassionate connection (online) group for mental health professionals run by Compassionate Mental Health in 2020 as part of their COVID response. It was facilitated brilliantly by Cathy Thorley, and I am grateful to have learned about Open Dialogue in this way.

It’s a privilege to be invited to join Compassionate Mental Health as a director, and I look forward to support the company in its future development, and bring expertise from both an NHS and private provider perspective.

Catherine is deeply committed to the compassionate support and training of the mental health workforce, and has run and supported reflective practice in highly pressurised NHS teams. She has also been  a trustee of NED, a suicide prevention agency based in Cornwall.

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