Dr Cleo Williamson.
Clinical Psychologist specialising in children and young people.
I have over 15 years’ experience working in mental health and paediatric health services within the NHS, and I established my private practice in 2018. I completed an MSc in Child Development at University College London and a Clinical Doctorate at the University of East London. My doctoral thesis focused on paediatric psychology and rare developmental health disorders at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
I am registered with the Health Care Professions Council (Registration No. PYL35544).
I am also the co-founder of That’s Me, a brand which lets you create personalised children’s books about their significant milestones.
Testimonials
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" I have been referring families to Cleo over the last five years and I have nothing but praise for her ability to engage with children and families, especially younger children in a variety of psychological settings with problems including encopresis, defecatory issues, longstanding constipation, eating issues, dealing with psychogenic abdominal pain and many other areas. The feedback I have had from families has been superb. She is empathetic and practical in equal measure giving families excellent plans. I have no hesitation in recommending her. "
Professor Thomson- Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist at The Portland Hospital London
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"I am incredibly grateful for the support my daughter and I have received from Cleo. Within a few sessions, we have gone from my daughter feeling uncomfortable talking about her health issues to happily coming up with games about poo! Cleo has managed this whilst meeting mostly on zoom which is a credit to how engaging she is in the sessions. I would wholeheartedly recommend Cleo to any family looking for compassionate and effective support for their child." "I like talking to Cleo and she makes poo silly – M age 7"
Parent Feedback, May 2026 (Child 7 yrs old)
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"For my daughter, working with Cleo proved to be transformational. As an older, neurotypical teen, the struggles and challenges my daughter was battling had become entirely overwhelming and as her Mum I was beginning to lose all hope that there was any professional who would be able to support her and enable her towards overcoming these. Cleo's skill and compassion-focused approach brought about an almost miraculous change for my daughter; about her understanding of how her body works, and how she herself can be in control of it. The collaborative processes used by Cleo meant that the support and therapy was triangulated so my daughter felt safe, in control and with much more self-confidence in managing and overcoming her 'tummy troubles'. This allowed me to remain at her side but with her making her own informed choices. Because of this wonderful intervention, my beautiful daughter is going from strength to strength, no longer held back by these longstanding and acutely embarrassing difficulties, and the relationship between us is now no longer peppered with my anxiety and her frustration. I could not recommend Cleo more highly, and will remain forever grateful for everything she has done for my girl and I."
Parent Feedback, May 2026 (17 yrs old)
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"We came to Dr Cleo when our daughter, just turning 4, had been struggling with severe constipation and stool withholding for several months, with recent stretches of up to 7 days without passing a bowel motion. Although we were already under a gastroenterologist's care medically, we knew the psychological side needed addressing - she had developed real fear around toileting and was refusing to sit, push, or take her medication without distress. The parent-only consultation format worked perfectly, and during the very first meeting Dr Cleo gave us a clear and practical framework: reframing the problem through a "fear lens", introducing externalising language such as the "cheeky poo", and laying out concrete steps for predictable toilet sits, calm responses to withholding, and meaningful incentives. Dr Cleo also encouraged us to revisit the medication regime, which led to a split morning/afternoon dose that has worked far better. Within weeks of following her advice, our daughter was going to the toilet independently, sitting comfortably on her own, and beginning to communicate her own needs - including at nursery. Bowel movements have moved from rare and painful to once a day or every other day, and the shame and panic around the whole subject have lifted for all of us. Dr Cleo combined warmth with genuinely useful, well-structured strategies, and gave us the confidence to keep going. We're enormously grateful!"
Parent Feedback, April 2026 (Child 4 yrs old)
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"We first met Cleo when our son was 5, with long-standing issues around toileting, accidents and withholding. She built a trusted relationship with him quickly, and he genuinely looks forward to seeing her. She has been an enormous support, not just to our son, but to us as parents too. She's given us practical strategies to help him at times when we really didn't know what to do. He’s made enormous progress since first meeting Cleo and she has been instrumental in getting him there. We would not hesitate to recommend her."
Parent Feedback, April 2026 (Child 7 yrs old)
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"I had a really positive experience with Cleo. She was warm, calm, intuitive and my 3-year old daughter warmed to her immediately. The play session was brilliant and made her feel completely at ease around what had been a very stressful issue for us. After just one play session, my daughter is now pooing in the toilet consistently, has stopped withholding, and feels much more comfortable around poo in general. This was a huge achievement, particularly as a few weeks earlier we were in A&E due to severe withholding and pain. I’m very grateful for Cleo’s compassionate and effective approach and would highly recommend her."
Parent Feedback, February 2026 (Child, 3yrs)
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“The support we received around our child’s toileting was absolutely invaluable, and we truly don’t believe we would have reached this point without it. She is now going to the toilet regularly, both at home and at school, and resolving this has had a remarkable positive impact on her overall mood and wellbeing.”
Parent Feedback, February 2026 (Child, 4 yrs)
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"Cleo is warm, welcoming, and highly skilled at connecting with children. She created a safe and trusting space where my son finally felt heard, supported, and believed. This alone made a significant difference in his emotional well-being. Through her work, my child has regained the ability to trust me and feel understood rather than judged. We had been stuck in a difficult cycle of blame, fear, anger, and mistrust, which had become overwhelming for him. With Cleo's support, those patterns began to shift, allowing my son to feel safer, more secure, and more open within our family about what he is experiencing. Cleo also advocated for my son beyond the therapy room. Her collaboration with the school led to meaningful accommodations, including access to a private bathroom, which supported my son's sense of safety and dignity throughout the school day. The impact on my child has been immense, and we are deeply grateful for the care, understanding, and advocacy Cleo has provided."
Parent Feedback, Febuary 2026 (Child, 8yrs)
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"When we approached Cleo, our 7 year old had never used a toilet and everything we had tried to help had failed. Within a few weeks of working with Cleo, he is now confidently using the toilet at home - we are truly amazed at the progress he has made! Cleo has a warmth and empathy which made him instantly feel comfortable, and he thoroughly enjoyed the sessions with her. She enabled him to work through an issue he had found difficult and distressing in a way that was accessible and fun. As a parent, I also found it so helpful to speak to someone who really understood the challenges we were dealing with, and to feel heard and understood - the support was invaluable to me too."
Parent Feedback, December 2025 (Child, 7yrs)
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"Thank you so much for the letter and your support over the past year. We were reflecting on the fact that our family life has transformed dramatically over that period, and J seems so much happier and more settled. We were really lost when we first met you and we couldn’t have done it without you."
Parent Feedback, 2025
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"I was initially reluctant to pursue psychological support for my daughter’s bowel and bladder difficulties, but I’m so glad we did. Although we’ve only had a small number of sessions, the impact has been significant. The work helped us change our language and approach, removing shame and blame and helping my daughter feel supported rather than at fault. It showed us that play, flexibility and emotional safety are far more effective than pressure or rigid reward systems. I also became more aware of my own responses and how important it was to move away from trying to “fix” things towards supporting her with care and understanding. Importantly, it enabled us to explain her needs to school in a way that focused on her feelings and fears, leading to a much more joined-up and supportive approach between home and school. My daughter actually enjoys the sessions, which is a huge contrast to other medical appointments. She is treated as a whole person, not a set of symptoms, and comes away feeling positive and confident. We’re still on a journey, but we’ve made faster progress and feel far more resilient in handling setbacks. Most importantly, my daughter is happier, which matters most of all. I only wish we had accessed this kind of support sooner."
Parent Feedback, 2025 (Child, 7yrs)
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" Having been plagued by withholding issues for over 6 months and thinking that I’d already tried everything, whilst I was happy to listen to Cleo’s advice in my heart I didn’t believe that anything would actually work. But seeing as nothing else was working, I followed her advice religiously and was absolutely amazed to see progress within weeks. My son, who previously soiled 10+ times a day and wouldn’t go anywhere near the toilet now happily “races against poo” daily. He has even used a public toilet (with me helping him) twice this weekend, something that would have been completely inconceivable six weeks ago. Cleo’s advice is simple and easy to follow; we still have a long road ahead but I honestly never thought we’d get this far. Tension at home has decreased and my relationship with my son is better than its ever been. Thank you Cleo! "
Parent Feedback, March 2024 (Child, 4yrs)
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“After trying to get help from doctors, hospital services, school, friends and family, this was the only support that truly gave me the strength to push through and take hold of the situation. A year on, we are in such a better place. Toileting is now happening daily and medication has reduced significantly. It can still be a bit of a struggle at times, but we have come so far. This time last year I was back up to 12 sachets and crying, going on holiday with straws, bottles of juice and swimming nappies. Now I’m going on holiday with pants, one box of Movicol and no swimming nappies. Thank you for the words and reassurance that helped me push through 💩.”
Parent Feedback, 2024 (Child, 5 yrs)
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“As we come to the end of our sessions, we wanted to share how grateful we are for the support our daughter received during a very challenging time. From the very first contact, a warm, cheerful and reassuring environment was created that immediately put both our child and us at ease, filling us with hope and confidence. The progress she made over the course of the sessions was remarkable. By feeling truly heard and understood, she gained confidence and was able to overcome her difficulties in a way that felt empowering rather than stressful. The creative, child-centred strategies used were not only effective but genuinely enjoyable, turning what could have been a difficult process into a positive and memorable experience. We are deeply thankful for the care, dedication and kindness shown to our family. The guidance we received has made a lasting difference, and we will always be grateful for the support that helped bring us to this point.”
Parent Feedback, 2024 (Child, 7yrs)