In the previous article (Caring - Winter 2005) I wrote about the early years of Consultant Psychologist Dr Josephine-Joy Wright, the struggles and challenges she faced throughout her childhood, both physical and emotional and the gradual fulfilment of her calling to help needy children. We left Jo last time having gained a PhD in Psychology from the University of Nottingham and accepting a job that involved treating those with severe trauma and head injuries, including casualties from the Derbyshire M1 air crash.

Jo stayed in the Midlands for 18 months and following her attendance at a Psychologists Society Conference in Swansea sought and was offered a job in South Wales as Principal Consultant in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team. You may be wondering what is unusual about this next step in Jo's life. Let me explain.

If you spend anytime with Jo you will notice that she has a very natural and almost conversational way of relating to God. At the very heart of all that she does and every decision she makes is the desire to be at the centre of God's plan for her life. She explained to me that although she didn't experience complete peace at the prospect of moving to Swansea, the circumstances surrounding her appointment were so extraordinary, she sensed the leading of God through them.

Firstly, she had obtained her doctorate only 18 months previously and a high level appointment such as this is rarely offered to anyone without at least 3-4 years post graduate experience. Secondly, the post included a part-time lectureship at Swansea University. Again, this flew in the face of convention in that a lectureship will, in normal circumstances, never be offered to an 'unpublished' applicant. At that time Jo did not fulfil either of these criteria.

She accepted the job and stayed for a year though it was not a happy work environment. However, being able to recognise the positives in any situation (i.e. God working for the good), Jo told me that her move to Swansea did enable her to undergo a surgical procedure on her leg, that greatly increased her mobility. In her inimitable way of playing down significant incidents in her life she said almost as an aside but with a smile on her face 'they took my leg off, turned it round, and then put it back on straight'. Again, for those who haven't read Part One of this article, Jo was born with severe Scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine) and spent much of her childhood in and out of hospital.

The unhappiness Jo was experiencing at Swansea prompted her to question the longevity of her stay there and she eventually applied for and secured the position of Principal Psychologist in Llanelli working in the area of mental health with adolescents and young mums, a job she relished from the day she started to the day she left. During her time there she initiated and developed a community-based service and not only ran groups for women who had been abused in childhood, but was able to train and mentor others to do the same.

However, perhaps one of the most challenging experiences she had at this point in her life came in between leaving Swansea and moving to Llanelli when even Jo admitted, she was in a post-operative state and had difficulty walking. Some would say it was madness, others a determination to fulfil her calling, but through another set of extraordinary circumstances and 'chance' meetings that included the former Director of Tear Fund, she ended up working with Med-Air on the front line of a war zone in Liberia, treating traumatised children who had been caught up in the conflict.

By the time she boarded the plane for Liberia, Jo assured me that her leg had properly re-attached, but she recounted an experience from this time that aptly demonstrated God's sovereignty and protection in a 'life and death' situation. On the aeroplane to Liberia, Jo's prayers went along the lines of 'God, I've never worked in a war zone before, tell me what I need to expect'. She sensed it would be a time when she would train others to meet the needs of these traumatised children, and then the unexpected happened. On coming into land, the plane nearly crashed on the runway. Jo's seatbelt sheared off and when they finally came to a halt, Jo found herself unharmed but in a very undignified state. She recalls, with a giggle, that above the ensuing mayhem she could hear an African lady shouting in a loud voice 'the doctor is dead!'

Given the contents of her luggage, this could well have ended up being the case if, as was the normal protocol, the Liberian army had searched her bags. Before she left the UK, and without thinking, Jo had packed several therapeutic tools - imitation guns. She found out later she was likely to have been shot immediately if the guns had been discovered by the soldiers! Because of the accident, all the passengers were whisked through customs without even a hint of a bag check.

During Jo's time in Liberia she sensed a confirmation of her calling to be a vessel of healing for communities and she began to develop a training programme along these lines that would empower others to do the same.

Over the coming months this vision was echoed and confirmed by many people she came into contact with back in the UK. One avenue that opened up was working with the Viva Network, a Christian organisation that sets up and manages many projects for the most vulnerable children worldwide. It entailed trips to Cambodia, Colombia, Bosnia, Croatia, the Philippines, China, Poland, Kenya, Poland and South Africa, all whilst she was working as a Consultant Psychologist with the NHS, though by this time she had taken up a post in Stevenage and had moved to a village outside Aylesbury. The thrust of her work in these countries remained the same, to train others to bring healing to the most deprived and hurting children of the world. Another important aspect of her work during this time was to co-edit a book 'Celebrating Children' (see page opposite)

We are almost up to date with Jo's life, but before concluding, there are more recent experiences in Jo's life that must be told. I wish to emphasis again that Jo has a remarkable but natural expectation of God's providence, even in the face of intense suffering. She has never been a 'why me' person, though lesser mortals, myself included, would almost certainly have questioned, wrestled and even had angry words with the Almighty if I had experienced what Jo has been through during the last two years.

In February 2004 Jo was involved in a serious car accident. Apart from being very shaken up, she lost her hearing in one ear for three weeks and unbeknown to her had broken her left foot. In the May she fell over and broke her foot in three places and it was then the doctors discovered the previous fracture. In the July both her feet were broken and re-set under general anaesthetic during which she nearly died because, despite informing hospital staff she has a lethal allergy to opiates, they were administered to her and she ended up with the crash team administering life saving resuscitation. Finally in September 2004 she returned to work after a very traumatic few months but by the October she was experiencing excruciating earache and it was discovered she had a malignant tumour in her salivary gland that required immediate surgery. By the end of December she was in hospital having the tumour removed but whilst convalescing, her mother died suddenly. Jo's relationship with her mother had been uneasy for many years (see previous article) but those six weeks between Jo's operation and her mother's death proved invaluable in healing and restoring what had been absent for such a long time. A natural mother/daughter relationship began to emerge and not long after a significant moment when Jo's mum was able to say those sometimes-difficult words, 'I love you', she passed away. Even though Jo was still recovering from her cancer operation, she managed to speak at her mother's funeral and described the miracle of her mother 'daring to love her daughter'.

I first met Jo at a Christian Childcare Forum Conference where the training conceived all those years ago in Liberia became reality in the launching of the first Celebrating Children Training Course. As Jo sat amongst the panel of speakers, munching a banana (her favourite fruit) in between each presentation, several things struck me. Here was an amazing woman who has risen above her lot in life, is totally self-effacing and shines with an exuberance that maybe was akin to Moses appearance on his descent from Mount Sinai. When we were discussing a time I could visit to conduct this interview, her nonchalance over her imminent course of radiotherapy could not be mistaken for a lack of personal care. It simply didn't rate high on her list of priorities. Although Jo knew she needed to look after herself, she was far more concerned with her 'higher' calling. And that's the way she is and, in my opinion, always will be.

As for the future, Jo will continue her work in the NHS working with damaged children and adolescents but she will combine this with pursuing her vision for healing communities which includes setting up a drop-in centre, where professional therapeutic practice can be combined with prayer and a love and care for people that demonstrates the true nature of Christ. She says 'I want to give away what God has given me. God is my breath and my breathing. It's a very natural thing. I want to empower others to love well’.

For part one - click here

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