About Us

Director and Senior Tutor
Sue is the founder and director of Smart-UK and all their associated organisations. Award winning pioneer in the field of addiction and published author on neuroscience of acupuncture for addiction. Passionate about recovery , Sue is the driving force behind Smart-UK. She is a Traditional Acupuncturist, a long standing member of the British acupuncture Council, and a counsellor. Sue’s principals and ethos about education have informed the much sought after Smart-UK teaching for healthcare professionals, who welcome the clarity, expertise and no nonsense approach that they enjoy in all the courses that Smart-UK offer.

Sue’s latest course is a 2 day workshop “Winning the battle of the abused brain” exploring the brain in relation to child sexual abuse, trauma and PTSD.

Her passion is for the highest educational and professional standards amongst those working with vulnerable clients and her focus is to empower the candidates that undertake her training, and their clients. Also to inform and lead the way to a change in approaches to addiction, trauma and mental health.

Sue is the co-founder of Survivors Voice Europe, is a member of the British Humanist Association, and the National Secular Society, is on the board of trustees for the “Godless grace Foundation” and is a patron of the “Pink Triangle”

She is currently completing her next book “Unholy alien and a Five Star recovery”

In 2014 Sue was honoured to receive “Inspirational Woman of the year award”

For more about Sue please visit: suecox.website

Neuroscience, pharmacology,molecular neuro science
Dr.Kim Wager continues as a consultant for Smart-Uk , university lecturer, researcher and medical communications advisor. His expertise and research in neuro-science informs Smart-Uk and all their other associated organisations, meaning that the training is at the very forefront of understanding about the brain and the effects of addiction, trauma, and mental health.Kim has an additional specialisation in genetics and lysosomal storage diseases and was part of a research team into molecular neuro-degeneration for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, SLOS and similar disorders. Kim is qualified in acupuncture and chinese medicine and is a published author in the field of neuro-science and has contributed to many other health publications.

Counsellor
Louise Rooney is an experienced integrative psychotherapist,ethics and clinical standards tutor and public sector trainer. Louise works with a variety of clients, but has a specialisation in co-dependency, and survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and training healthcare professionals in that arena. She is also a commissioned training course author, having written and facilitated a number of workshops for professionals. Louise works alongside a number of organisations including Smart-Uk, Survivors Voice -Europe, Safeline Warwick and has recently taken up a position as ethical advisor for UK fostering charity. She is one of the few “ISVAS” (Independent Sexual Violence Advisors to the courts.Louise has written a number of articles fro European and US publications and is currently writing a book about co-dependency.

Michael Wheatley has over twenty years experience of working with substance misuse. This experience has been gained by working with non-statutory drug agencies as a counsellor and manager with statutory organisations such as Social Services, the Probation Service and H M Prison Service as a Social Worker, Probation Officer and Project Manager. He currently works as a Senior Manager with the National Offender Management Service and has specific responsibility for co-ordinating reducing reoffending interventions within the eight high security prisons. Michael also is a trustee for the Federation of Drug & Alcohol Professionals and on the editorial board for the Prison Service Journal.

Michael has been actively involved in the development and implementation of clinical treatment services, psycho-social support services, intensive rehabilitation programmes, drug testing (both voluntary and mandatory), complementary therapies and supply reduction initiatives since taking up his current position in 1998. He has presented widely on problematic drug misuse within prison settings and has a number of publications in press including drug misuse in prisons, prison drug workers, the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture as a treatment intervention and an outcome evaluation of a high intensity treatment programme with long term high security prisons. Michael graduated from the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, with a Masters degree in Applied Criminology, Penology and Prison Management in 2005. Michael also has an Applied Social Science degree and is a qualified Social Worker.

Recently Michael told us, “I am really proud to be a SMART UK member, what we do is the essence of, what I fundamentally believe to be, quality care and treatment for people with complex problems. Ear acupuncture has such a vital part to play in interventions promoting well-being and long will I campaign for it’s inclusion”.

Eleanor is Quality and Research Facilitator and currently take a lead on Complementary Therapies throughout Addaction. Her role is to monitor the quality and clinical governance of all CT’s that we deliver, looking at best practice, treatment effectiveness, monitoring and outcomes from all therapies. She is also working closely with Addaction’s research consultant who is currently working on and has a vested interest in proving that the therapies delivered are effective and have some impact on substance addiction. With a BA Hons in Criminology, FDAP member and having worked closely with ex-offenders and substance mis-users, Eleanor is dedicated to effective treatment practice and ensuring that Addaction and the SMART UK Advisory Board remain at the forefront of new information, research and legislation in this field.

Gillian has worked in mental health for over 29 yrs and is currently working for North staffs Combined Healthcare Trust. She has over 18yrs of experience of integrating CT’s within mental health. Her joint role is to lead & shape therapies within the acute mental health services & direct the quality governance of all CT’s that underpins the delivery CT’s within clinical practice. Gillian has been actively involved in writing the Clinical Governance Guidelines & Business case for the Prince of Wales Integrated Health guidelines for Mental Health, which will give clinicians some guidance on how to deliver CT’s safely in clinical practice. Also last year Gillian has had the opportunity of teaching on the CT’s degree at South Staffs University sharing her knowledge & experience of implementing CT’s into clinical practice. Her main interest is looking at the use of CT’s especially the use acupuncture within an acute mental health setting.

Phil has worked in mental health for over 20 years and is currently working for Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust. He has gained experience working and managing in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, project management and Community teams. Currently he is working with Stratford upon Avon Community Mental Health Team as a CPN. He is a non medical nurse prescriber and sits on the Trusts Drug and Therapeutic Committee.

Phil is committed to the use and development of auricular acupuncture within mental health services.

Abstinence-based treatment is where Paul’s heart lies. He is a qualified CBT therapist and has several years experience working within the substance misuse field. His own recovery inspired 5 years research into the delivery of effective recovery-based treatment. He is the Managing Director of All About Addiction Ltd. and has a private counselling practice specialising in addiction, both based in Coventry. Paul sees being part of the SMART UK Advisory Board as helping to consolidate ideas, experience and expertise in the ongoing development and research into the delivery of effective and life-changing treatment.

Claire is a nurse, a psychologist and more recently, a research consultant, based at Addaction. This is an organisation that provides support to people who experience, or are affected by problematic substance use. Claire’s background is in academic and voluntary and community care sector research. This includes developmental psychological assessments, the analysis of parent-child relationships and the evaluation of young person and family services and complementary therapies. Claire has ten years experience in this field, previously working as a researcher at the University of Bath, and as a researcher and teaching fellow at Harvard University. Claire enjoys challenge. She works to promote the ideal of useful research that can positively shape services and where appropriate, elicit funding to support the work of colleagues who provide services to people who may be at-risk or socially disenfranchised.