Our Team

Piers Watson is Chair of OCD Action.  He has been involved with the Charity for over 20 years as a Trustee, previous Chair and former President. He has OCD himself and is passionate about ensuring the support he received for his OCD is available to everyone.  In his professional life Piers is co-Director of Watson Westmoreland, who are agents in fine art.  He previously worked for a merchant bank.  Piers lives between London and Shropshire.

Motivated by her personal experience of OCD, Ella joined the trustee board in April 2019. She is particularly passionate about breaking down the stigma around OCD and to ensure that support and treatment are widely available. Professionally, Ella works for an arts organisation that provides artistic and cultural opportunities for children and young people. She is also experienced in issues around diversity and intersectionality and hopes to use her experience to reach more people affected by OCD and further the work of OCD Action.

Kath had been a trustee of several charities before joining OCD Action early in 2017. Her partner has OCD, so she fully understands the impact the condition can have on people's lives. Kath's professional background is in Management Consultancy, so she hopes to use her experience with strategy and operational improvement to support and improve the work OCD Action does.

Professor David Veale FRCPsych, FBPsS is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy at The South London and Maudsley Trust (NHS) and The Priory Hospital North London (mainly private). Both centres provide specialist treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Professor Veale is also based in the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry where he conducts original research in OCD, BDD and a specific phobia of vomiting. He is a past Chairman of OCD Action and continues as a professional adviser and trustee of today’s OCD Action Committee. He is co-author of the self-help books “Overcoming OCD”; “Overcoming Body Image Problems (including BDD); “Overcoming Health Anxiety” and “Manage Your Mood” all published by Robinson. He was a member of the NICE group that produced guidelines on treating OCD and BDD. He is past President of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). You can contact David via his website at www.veale.co.uk

Juliet joined OCD Action as a trustee in January 2019, having been a supporter of and volunteer for the Charity for a number of years. Juliet has extensive professional experience, particularly in finance and fundraising, and OCD is a cause particularly important to her. From improving access to treatment to tackling the stigma attached to mental health, Juliet is determined to use her experience and knowledge to help better the lives of those affected by OCD.

Aron has been a member and volunteer for OCD Action since 2012. With personal experience of the condition, Aron runs a peer-led support group in Norwich. He has also written a few small books on the subject in a bid to help raise awareness and end some of the unnecessary stigma.

I have worked within the voluntary sector for the entirety of my career in local and national charities both in custody and in the community. My professional specialisms are in grief, bereavement, counselling, charity governance, safeguarding vulnerable groups and organisational policy. I have authored a number of articles and training programmes related to death (anticipatory and post death bereavement), counselling for sudden and traumatic loss and bereavement arising from the death of someone close through murder and manslaughter. I have held trustee positions including that of chair for smaller charities in the past and I am a member of a network of senior charity professionals working within England and Wales. I was diagnosed with OCD in November 1999.

Motivated initially by personal experience of mental health problems including OCD, Tom has worked in mental health policy for over ten years. Most of this time was spent working for Mind, where he held a number of roles in Policy and Campaigns. Tom’s work around benefits and back-to-work support led to him being asked by the Department for Work and Pensions to join on secondment to advise on mental health across a range of policy issues. After 18 months at the DWP, Tom decided to gain some front-line experience and is now training as a Mental Health Social Worker.

Chloe Volz is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Team Lead for the National and Specialist OCD and Related Disorders Team for Children and Young People.  She has been part of this team for the past 17 years and has taught and trained and nationally and internationally on the assessment and treatment of child and adolescent OCD. Clinically, she oversees treatment for the most severe, treatment-resistant cases of young people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and her role is to develop individually-tailored treatment packages, which might involve intensive, home-based and inpatient treatment.  She is also pioneering Multi-Family Group work with families of young people with OCD as an enhancement to the evidence-based CBT treatment that is offered in the clinic. This year with 2 colleagues, she was very pleased to publish the clinic’s treatment manual and workbook OCD - Tools to help young people fight back! and OCD – Tools to help you fight back! Turner, Krebs and Volz.

Our YAPers are a group of under 25s with personal experience of OCD, who help design and deliver our work with young people. YAP volunteers meet regularly, online and in person, to discuss and deliver OCD Youth initiatives. These range from awareness events to support services.

Our Clinical Advisory group was formed in December 2013 and consist of 24 leading OCD clinicians and academics based throughout the country. The group helps to ensure that our work is clinically appropriate and that our information is accurate and up to date. The group also play a role in our campaigning work to improve access to quality treatment. You can read more about the group and see a full list of members here 

Collette joined OCD Action in 2012 as the Charity's Advocacy Manager. She is responsible for OCD Action's Advocacy Service ensuring that the service meets its objective of changing the lives of people with OCD. You can contact her at collette@ocdaction.org.uk or call the London office. 

Keira joined OCD Action in 2013 as our first Groups and Communities Manager. She runs the Charity's " Even Better Together" project that works to develop the network of local independent support groups and online support groups, and help them to provide outstanding support. Prior to joining the OCD Action staff team, Keira ran a local support group and volunteered as a Trustee. You can contact her at keira@ocdaction.org.uk or call the Cromer office on 0303 040 1112.

Rebecca joined OCD Action in 2018 as the 'Even Better Together' Project Assistant. Rebecca works alongside the Project Manager and a team of dedicated volunteers to run OCD Action's Skype/Phone support groups, creating safe spaces for individuals to talk openly. Rebecca also provides support for local independent support groups, she is especially involved in the start up process. You can contact her at rebecca@ocdaction.org.uk or call the Cromer office on 0303 040 1112. 

Olivia joined the team in 2014 as the Charity's first Media and Communications Officer. Along side her Comms role, she spent two years working as the OCD Action Helpline Co-ordinator with Christian, and then a further 2+ years managing the OCD Youth Service, before going part time at OCD Action as Communications Manager. She is responsible for raising awareness of the Charity and OCD, working with the media and managing OCD Action's digital platforms and other external communications. You can reach Olivia at olivia@ocdaction.org.uk or call the London office. 

Charlie joined our staff team in 2016 after volunteering with OCD Action for nine months. Charlie is responsible for supporting our community fundraisers and seeking out new fundraising opportunities for OCD Action. You can reach him by email: charlie@ocdaction.org.uk or by calling the London office.

Cecilia joined the OCD Action team at the end of 2018 and is our first Helpline Assistant. Cecilia has a history of working and volunteering in various roles around mental health, and her role is to support the Helpline Manager with project administration and by taking many of the calls and emails that come in to the Helpline. You can contact her by email on Cecilia@ocdaction.org.uk or by calling in to the London Office.