Clinicians
Lichfield Psychiatric Chambers is the private practice of Dr Rik Coetzee (sole trader). Some of the clinicians featured here are onboarded contractors of Lichfield Psychiatric Chambers, whilst others use us as as a referral hub for their private practices as independently practising clinicians. Lichfield Psychiatric Chambers make no profit from either onboarded contractors or independent practitioners as our soul aim is to make sure our patients have access to reputable clinicians charging reasonable fees. If Dr Coetzee is unable to provide a psychiatry assessment to you in a timely manner, he will pass your referral to one of his Consultant Psychiatrist colleagues with your agreement. If you see Dr Coetzee or one of the onboarded contractors, you remain fully under the care of Lichfield Psychiatric Chambers. If you see one of our independently practising clinicians you will be fully under their care for all the parts of your care they provide through their private practice. You do not have to use psychotherapists or psychiatrists featured here. You can find other ways of locating psychotherapists on our resources page and you are not obliged to use clinicians we recommend.
Consultant General Adult Psychiatrists
Dr Rik Coetzee
MBChB M.MedSci FRCPsych
Qualifications and registration
1995 – Bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MBChB), University of Pretoria.
2000 – Master’s degree in clinical psychiatry (M.MedSci), University of Nottingham.
2001 – Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych).
2004 – Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in General Adult Psychiatry (CCST) and admission to the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council (GMC number 4259561).
2025 – Appointed as a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Career details, Awards and Special areas of interest
After completing specialist training in psychiatry on the University of Nottingham and University of Cambridge training schemes in November 2004, Dr Coetzee was appointed to his first Consultant Psychiatrist post at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham in January 2005. During his time in training in Nottingham he worked at the Centre for Trauma Studies for two years, which was a self-funded NHS unit specialising in post-traumatic stress disorder. This is where he developed a special interest in post-trauma psychiatry which led to him joining the Ministry of Defence as a civilian Consultant Psychiatrist in 2007. He formally joined the Royal Navy in 2010 as an officer and uniformed Consultant Psychiatrist and was promoted to the rank of Surgeon Commander (Lieutenant Colonel equivalent) in 2011. Since 2010 his main clinical duties have been to assess and treat mental health disorders in serving personnel and civilians who are eligible for healthcare from the Ministry of Defence. This includes advising on their occupational management whilst in service and in making recommendations whether individuals are fit to return to operational duties or need to be medically discharged. He routinely treats patients from all three services (Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force). Dr Coetzee was appointed as the professional lead for psychiatry for the Royal Navy in 2013.
In 2016, Dr Coetzee was appointed as the Defence Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry and promoted to the rank of Surgeon Captain (Colonel equivalent). In this capacity he served as the professional head of psychiatry for the UK Armed Forces. Dr Coetzee continued with frontline clinical duties during this period and completed the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN) training course in the diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD in 2018 and has been extensively assessing and treating adult ADHD since then. Dr Coetzee returned to full-time frontline clinical duties in 2022 and has been serving as the lead clinician for mental healthcare delivery to UK Armed Forces personnel stationed in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.
Awards. In January 2022, Her Majesty granted his admission as an Officer to the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (Order of St John) for his services to military medicine. In 2025 Dr Coetzee’s membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrist (MRCPsych) was elevated to a Fellowship (FRCPsych) in recognition of his contribution to the field of psychiatry.
Special interests. Dr Coetzee’s special interests include trauma-related disorders, occupational psychiatry, and adult ADHD. He has extensive experience in these three areas and other conditions commonly seen by General Adult Psychiatrists.
Dr Nicola Taylor
MBChB MRCPsych MMedSc MA Clin Ed
Qualifications and registration
1997 – Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), University of Leeds
2003 – Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych)
2007 – Masters of Medical Science Psychiatry with merit (MMedSc), University of Leeds
2009 – Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) in General Adult Psychiatry and admission to the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council (GMC number 4475574)
2009 – Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Clinical Practice with merit (PGC TLCP),
Universities of Edgehill and Chester
2013 – Masters of Clinical Education with merit (MA Clin Ed), Edgehill University
Career details, Awards and Special areas of interest
Dr Taylor is a General Adult Psychiatrist working as an NHS Consultant Psychiatrist in a small, but busy, Community Mental Health Team in a rural community setting. She has previously worked as a military Consultant Psychiatrist for the Ministry of Defence where she often completed adult ADHD assessments for military personnel and offered treatment for the same.
She has had a keen interest in neurodevelopmental disorders for over 20 years and had special interest placements in child and adolescent teams as a trainee, gaining experience in this area. She completed a Master’s degree research project at the very first NHS ADHD clinic at the Maudsley in London, and over the course of her career she has led numerous training sessions for health professionals on the topic of neurodevelopmental disorders. She has also trained more than 300 clinicians on the effects of child trauma on neurodevelopment.
Dr Taylor has a passion for medical education and is one of the leadership team at Hull York Medical School, currently working as the Director for Student Wellbeing. She has also acted as the lead for the psychiatry curriculum for both the medicine and the physician associate courses, amongst other roles.
Special interests. Dr Taylor has a special interest in adult ADHD, trauma-related disorders and occupational psychiatry.
Dr John Sharpley CBE
MA MB BChir FRCPsych
Qualifications and registration
1991 – Bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MB BChir), Cambridge University
1997 – Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych)
2001 – Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in General Adult Psychiatry and admission to the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council (GMC number 3432125)
2009 – Appointed as a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Career details, Awards and Special areas of interest
Dr John Sharpley joined the Royal Navy in 1987 as a medical student. He graduated from Cambridge & Guys Hospital, London in 1989, and spent his pre-registration year at Royal Naval Hospital Stonehouse, Plymouth. He spent the next three years as a General Duty Medical Officer, working at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, Lympstone and completed three 6-month deployments on frigates.
Dr Sharpley did his basic specialist training in the National Health Service in the Portsmouth and Southampton area from 1994-1997. Higher specialist training started at Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital, Catterick, in 1997. He spent a year each in the disciplines of General Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry, before completing his training in Oxford doing Liaison Psychiatry and a further period of General Adult Psychiatry.
He was appointed consultant in General Adult Psychiatry in 2001 and has since worked in the Department of Community Mental Health at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth, providing a clinical and occupational service to all defence establishments and units in the central southern part of England.
He has deployed in a visiting capacity to Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. He deployed in 2003 with the Primary Casualty Receiving Facility on RFA Argus during Operation Telic 1, Iraq, leading a mental health team providing mental health service to the Amphibious Task Force. He became the professional head of psychiatry (Royal Navy) in December 2003 and was responsible for provision of mental health services throughout the three naval departments of community mental health and for advising Navy Command on matters of mental health. He has published articles in the areas of substance misuse, self-harm, pre-operational stress briefing and the history of Naval Mental Health services amongst other topics.
From May 2010 to December 2016 he was appointed professional head of psychiatry for the UK Armed Forces. In this capacity, he chaired the NATO Military Mental Health Expert Panel for the Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services. He was a Trustee of the charity “Veterans Outreach Support” (Portsmouth) from 2014 to 2023 and now provides part-time clinical support to the charity.
Awards
2017 – Appointed Member in the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
2021 – Appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Special Interests
Dr Sharpley’s special interests include trauma-related disorders, occupational psychiatry and sleep disorders. As and ADHD-trained consultant since 2020, he has been treating and managing patients with ADHD on a frequent basis.
Dr Sharpley is an onboarded contractor with Lichfield Psychiatric Chambers. He charges the fees stipulated on our fees page.
Psychotherapists
Dr Lindsey Wilson
MA(hons) DClinPsychol
Qualifications and registration
2003 – Honours degree in Psychology (MA Hons), University of Edinburgh
2011 – Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsychol), University of Edinburgh
2011 – Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC Reg: PYL27325)
Career details, Awards and Special areas of interest
Dr Wilson is a highly experienced, Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) consultant/trainer with a career spanning over 20 years in mental health. She has provided highly specialist assessment, formulation and psychological therapy to client populations in the NHS, Higher Education and Defence & Security since 2008. She has worked since 2017 within the UK Ministry of Defence, providing specialist clinical services to serving military personnel across the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force.
Dr Wilson earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Edinburgh and has developed expertise in a range of therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and third wave approaches including Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). As an accredited CPT provider, consultant, and trainer, she is also supporting MoD clinicians in achieving certification and uses this therapy regularly in the treatment of post-trauma disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Her career includes key roles in academia and healthcare, including serving as Principal Clinical Psychologist at the University of Glasgow, where she provided mental health services to staff and students with common mental health disorders, led service development initiatives, provided consultancy and delivered regular teaching and education to audiences out with the mental health profession.
With a strong commitment to advancing mental health practices, Dr Wilson also provides clinical supervision, consultancy, and training to healthcare professionals. Her areas of expertise include trauma treatment, supervision, risk management, and policy development within the mental health sector. She has presented on topics such as PTSD, moral injury and perfectionism. In 2024 she was invited to deliver a workshop on building mental health resilience for the award-winning law society ‘Hey Legal’ at their annual summit.
Dr Wilson is passionate about evidence-based psychological interventions and has contributed to the field through publications on military psychology and cognitive mediation in anxiety.
Astrid Willis
Qualifications and registration
1999 – Diploma in Education (Nursing), University of Stirling
2012 – Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSc), University of Stirling
2024 – Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with distinction, University of Stafford
2026 – Accreditation with the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapists (Registration number: 1030645)
Career details, Awards and Special areas of interest
Astrid Willis is an experienced Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and dual-qualified mental health and general nurse, with over 20 years of experience supporting adults and young people across military, NHS, private, and third-sector settings. She completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with Distinction in 2024 and is trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), delivering evidence-based therapy tailored to individual patients.
Astrid works as a Senior Mental Health Practitioner within the Ministry of Defence, predominantly delivering CBT to serving personnel. As a former Captain in the British Army, she brings a strong understanding of high-pressure environments and the impact of trauma and responsibility on mental wellbeing. Her work has been recognised with being shortlisted for “Nursing Times Student Mental Health Nurse of the Year” and a university nomination for the academic “RG Beaumont Award (mental health)”. During her CBT training, the standard of her clinical work and academic assignments was recognised by the university and used as teaching examples for future trainee cohorts.
Social anxiety and self-esteem work is a particular area of interest for Astrid, helping clients who struggle with fear of judgement, self-criticism and avoidance to build confidence and engage more fully in their lives. Her broader areas of work include anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and work-related stress. She offers a compassionate and professional approach, focusing on understanding each person’s experiences and goals to support meaningful, lasting change.
Mr Ryan Bruce
BSc(Hons) PGDip (CBT)
Qualifications and registration
2010 – BSc(Hons) in Mental Health Nursing (Birmingham City University). Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC registration number 10E0633E)
2014 – Levels 1-4 EMDR (EMDR Europe).
2019 – Post-Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (University of the West Of Scotland). Accredited with the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapists (BABCP registration number 999691)
Career details, Awards and Special areas of interest
Career. Since qualifying as a Registered Mental Health Nurse over 13 years ago, Mr Bruce has worked in the private sector, NHS and the UK Armed Forces as a Mental Health Nurse, delivering a range of different therapies. During his time in the Royal Navy, he worked in both maritime and field environments alongside the Army and Royal Marines. He delivered treatment to professionals in a number of different roles, from fighter pilots to chefs, and across the rank spectrum. Mr Bruce left the Royal Navy in 2022 having attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He has worked in the private sector since, treating many different conditions with clients from wide-ranging backgrounds.
Mr Bruce is a highly motivated individual who always seeks to ensure clients receive the most professional service. His aims to create a calm, receptive, and non-judgemental environment for his clients. He ensures that clients receive structured, goal focused interventions, delivered in a bespoke way to suit their individual needs. The interventions will be evidence-based to ensure you are receiving the most effective treatment based on current guidelines.
Special interests. Mr Bruce has a special interest in disorders resulting from military and civilian trauma.
Mr Bruce is an independent practitioner. More detail on his service and fees can be found on Mr Bruce’s website: https://www.endurancetherapyservices.co.uk.
Mr Richard Knight
Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN)
Qualifications and registration
Psycho-social Skills Training for Adults with ADHD – UKAAN, November 2024
Mood Matters Behavioural Activation Group Training – MOD, July 2024
Anxiety Management Group Training – MOD, June 2023
Adult ADHD DIVA Assessment – UKAAN, May 2022
DICES – Suicide and Risk Assessment, February 2022
CBTi (REST) – Sleep Unlimited, Dr. David Lee, November 2020
EMDR Levels 1-4 – EMDR Works, 2015-2017
PSI CBT for Psychosis – York University, 2005-2006
Diploma in Reflexology – Huddersfield College, 1998
Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) – West Yorkshire College of Health Studies, 1992-1995
Career details, Awards and Special areas of interest
Richard Knight is a highly experienced UK-registered mental health nurse with over 30 years of post-qualification nursing experience. He spent the last 16 years working for the Ministry of Defence within the Department of Community Mental Health across various locations.
Richard is passionate about providing comprehensive, personalized mental health assessments and practical therapeutic support to his clients
Richard specialices in individual care planning and delivers practical goal based psychotherapy using a variety of modalities, such as step 2 CBT-based low-intensity therapy for common mental health disorders, step 3 EMDR for PTSD and complex mental health needs, and he has developed and facilitated behavioural activation psychotherapy groups for anxiety and low mood. All therapies are designed to be delivered and effective online.
Richard is trained and skilled in conducting detailed 1:1 mental health assessments, including Adult ADHD DIVA assessments, and offers step 2 ADHD psychotherapy
support.
Richard is trained in EMDR levels 1-4 and has gained valuable practical experience and supervision in using this complex psychotherapy to treat PTSD and other disorders.
His diverse background, including volunteer work travel, a passion for mountain sports, and love of the great outdoors, informs his holistic approach to mental health care.
Mr Knight is an onboarded contractor with Lichfield Psychiatric Chambers. Mr Knight charges the fees stipulated on our fees page.