Jane Ryan trained as a psychotherapist at the Centre for Attachment-based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (now called The Bowlby Centre) in the 1990s. Having worked in private practice for eight years she set up Confer in order to bridge the theoretical gaps between schools of thought and professional communities in our field, and to provide a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue. She ran Confer until her retirement in May 2022.

She previously studied at the Canterbury School of Art, then reading English at the North London Polytechnic and the University of Reading. In the 1970s she set up the multi-cultural community centre Kuumba in St Pauls, Bristol (formerly called The Inkworks). From there she went on to work for 15 years in community development projects in London before training as a psychotherapist. She now lives in Suffolk, and is a student on the Creative Writing Masters course at the University of East Anglia.

She is the editor of three books: How Does Psychotherapy Work? (Karnac, 2006), Tales of Psychotherapy (Karnac, 2007), and What is Normal? (with Roz Carroll, Confer Books, 2020).

Alex is the Founder of The Yellow Heart Trust. 

She is an enthusiastic entrepreneur who also founded Personal Time Saver Ltd, London's award-winning lifestyle management and concierge service.

Alex Fontaine was awarded an MBE for Outstanding Service to Disadvantaged Women and for founding The Yellow Heart Trust.

You can read an interview with Alex here. 

Philip is a management consultant in the asset management field, as well as a professional tenor. 

He is a very fortunate survivor of the Marchioness riverboat disaster and has benefitted greatly from post-traumatic stress disorder therapy in the aftermath of this tragedy. He worked with and was a friend of Antonio Vasconcellos. 

Philip is the man behind the Antonio Vasconcellos Fund, and you can read an interview with him on the AV Fund page.

Philip was recently interviewed by international magazine Psychology Today for an article on PTSD and current research. Please click this link to download a PDF of the original magazine article. Alternatively you can view a transcript of the article here.

Joanna is CEO at Citizens Advice Westminster, having worked in adult and trade union education for many years, as a teacher, facilitator and manager.

She has been a school and college governor, and has a strong interest in community-based advice and education, which provides a starting point for adults who have experienced economic and social deprivation, mental health issues and trauma. Jo joined the Yellow Heart Trust as a Trustee in 2019.

Thomas is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Sussex, and has recently established an architecture and design firm with his partner, Lilly. Prior to this, he spent much of his career in healthcare management, where he developed a keen interest in patient-centred care, and has worked alongside several non-profit organisations in relation to community-based initiatives.

Thomas welcomes the prospect of working closely with the Yellow Heart Trust in providing support for those seeking treatment for addiction.

Ann Sloboda is Head of Music Therapy at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She is a qualified psychoanalyst and a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and is registered with the BCP (British Psychoanalytic Council) and the HCPC (Health Care Professions Council). 

She studied music at Worcester College, Oxford. She qualified as a music therapist in 1985 at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she subsequently taught as Clinical Tutor. 

Between 1985 and 2005 she worked as a music therapist in the NHS, in the fields of adult learning disability, eating disorders, general psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. A past chair of the Association of Professional Music Therapists, she was Head of Arts Therapies at West London Mental Health Trust for 10 years. Here, she established and developed clinical services in art, drama and music therapy. She provides consultations to music therapists working in the health, voluntary and education sectors. 

Ann has spoken widely at national and international conference and has several publications on music therapy including 'Music Therapy and Psychotic Violence' in A Practical Guide to Forensic Psychotherapy (E Welldon and C Van Velsen, editors) and 'Music Therapy in Forensic Psychiatry; a case study with musical commentary' in The Handbook of Music Therapy (L Bunt and S Hoskyns, editors).