About Me

I was born into a left-wing activist family in a small town in South Africa. I went to medical school in Cape Town, and then, once qualified as a doctor, I came to London in 1979 to evade conscription into the apartheid regime’s army and to pursue a training in psychiatry. 

I was, for twenty years, a pioneering Consultant Child Psychiatrist and Family Therapist in North London, an expert in both crisis intervention with teenagers with severe mental health problems, and in dealing with the aftermath of extreme family violence. During that time, I co-authored two well-received non-fiction books, and wrote many journal articles and book chapters. I gave that up in 2010 to pursue my passion for creative writing and painting. 

My other passions are drumming and percussion (I lead what may be the longest continuous drum circle in London),  travel photography, cinema and live music. And I read a lot!

I live in London and have three grown-up children.