About Labyrinth House
Our story
Labyrinth House was born out of a vision to put the emotional wellbeing of children and families at the heart of our community. Our mission is rooted in providing every person who steps through our door with an environment where they feel respected, welcomed, valued and sincerely cared about.
To make this possible, our services and activities are embedded in trauma-informed, attachment aware and systemic approaches to emotional health and wellbeing; all with the aim of ensuring everything we offer is tailored sensitively to effectively meet local community needs.
So, in 2020, we started refurbishing the disused doctor’s surgery on Westborough Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, and made it the welcoming place it is today.
What we do
At Labyrinth House, our mission is to support the emotional wellbeing of children, young people and families living in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, the wider Essex area and beyond. We offer Educational Psychology services; one-to-one, family and group activities; and therapeutic opportunities for children and young people from conception to age twenty-five and to families across the lifespan.
We collaborate with amazing local charities like Sunshine Baby Bank and Send the Right Message, who are residents within our space. We also work closely with Liminal Space Psychology and Educational Psychology Reach-Out.
Meet the Team
Dr Nicole Schnackenberg, Founding Director and Safeguarding Lead
Dr Nicole Schnackenberg is a mother; a Child, Community and Educational Psychologist; systemic practitioner; author and yoga therapist. She is a director of the Yoga in Healthcare Alliance and holds trusteeships for Give Back Yoga Foundation, Sunshine Baby Bank and the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation.
Nicole wholeheartedly looks forward to welcoming you to Labyrinth House!
Dr Sarah Sivers,
Liminal Space Psychology
Dr Sarah Sivers is a Child, Community and Educational Psychologist, founder of Liminal Space Psychology and a trustee of the Sunshine Baby Bank.
She is an accredited Video Interaction Guidance practitioner and a trainee Therapeutic Play Practitioner. Sarah's work is informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy approaches and guided by the values of Connection, Curiosity and Authenticity.
Sarah is the co-creator (alongside Dr Nicole Schnackenberg) of the EP Reach-Out webinar series, which hosts a wide range of webinars with a focus on wellbeing, psychology and trauma-informed, attachment-aware approaches.
Sophie Cooper,
Operations Manager and Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Sophie is the Operations Manager at Labyrinth House. Her role is to manage the centre’s operations and seed bed serviced accommodation for lease/hire by charities and like-minded organisations and Labyrinth House services.
Sophie’s background has predominantly been in digital marketing, and she also has experience working in various sectors, from employability to financial technology.
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Outside of work, Sophie’s main passions are horses and dogs. You will often find her down the stables mucking out, grooming, and riding. Her favourite pastime is taking a leisurely hack along country lanes and farm fields, soaking up the beautiful scenery come spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
She also relishes long walks with her dog, Charlie, a young three-year-old English springer spaniel.
Kate Williams,
SEND Consultant
Kate is the parent of a child with Down’s Syndrome and has made it her life’s work to support children with SEND and their parents. She is a qualified teacher and SENCo with over 15 years’ experience working in special and mainstream primary and secondary education.
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Kate is a qualified Neurolinguistic Programming Practitioner and Dialectical Behavioural Therapist. She is creative in using these practices to inspire and strategise approaches and methods to help children and families reach their true potential.
