This article is the first part of an account of the remarkable life and work of Dr Josephine-Joy Wright, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and tireless campaigner on behalf of children and families at risk.

If you ask Jo-Joy what she does, she will say, somewhat emphatically, that she is a gardener and an artist. When I visited her recently her priority, apart from making the tea, was to take me on a guided tour of her garden. As we walked and talked she spoke animatedly about her plants and shrubs, explaining their individual foibles, fancies and preferences. At one point Jo patiently took the branch of a rebellious rose and with affirming words (yes, she does talk to her plants!), and the eye of an expert, gently but firmly weaved it back into the trellis where it stood a much better chance of flourishing. As I looked on, I couldn't help but draw a comparison, albeit tenuous, with those Jo comes into contact with in what I would call her 'professional' life; the many abused, traumatised and hurting children she has come alongside, patiently listened to, supported and helped. I soon learned that there is no side to Jo, and the qualities she displays is how she is with everyone and everything she comes into contact with.

Dr Jo-Joy Wright, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, is a highly qualified and consummate professional whose skills are much in demand, but she also possesses a natural empathy that disarms the troubled, and because she accepts and values herself, she has an innate ability to cause those she comes into contact with to do the same. This is remarkable in itself, but there is much more to tell.

In the late 1950's, it wasn't uncommon for doctors to prescribe pheno-barbiturates to pregnant women. The now-acknowledged side effects of these tranquillisers on the neurological development of a growing foetus were not known, and Jo is of the opinion that this is the most likely reason that she, and to a lesser extent her brother, were born with scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine). Jo was also declared clinically dead at birth and had to be resuscitated. As a consequence the prognosis given by her doctors was not good. Her parents were told that it was unlikely she would ever sit up let alone walk, both of which she accomplished without too much difficulty.

Having said this, her early life was interspersed with numerous hospital visits where, amongst other things, she was encased in body plaster that was renewed every six months. Jo's earliest recollection of one of these occasions was when her two great aunts visited, both committed Christians. They remember Jo giggling throughout yet another uncomfortable treatment session, repeating the word 'Dedus' (Jesus) over and over again. Amongst other things, Jo recounts seeing angels bathed in an extraordinary light and it is not surprising that she still fervently believes in them. Jo had many subsequent experiences like this as a child and she says that throughout her life there has never been a time when she has not known a palpable and close relationship with God. She sees this as a gift that has provided her with the strength and inspiration she has needed to be where she is today.

Having said all this, Jo has had to battle, not only in overcoming physical impairment, but also an unhappy childhood, living with the acrimonious relationship of her mother and father who eventually separated and divorced. Her mother's attitude towards her was also confusing and at times frightening. On the one hand she fought tooth and nail to get the best treatment for Jo, but on the other depended quite heavily upon her emotionally, and was prone to flying into violent rages.

As Jo grew up she ducked in and out of church, but as a lonely, virtually friendless teenager, church eventually became a surrogate home. She immersed herself in activities such as choir and babysitting for church members, and was quite devastated when she found out her vicar was leaving the church. At about that time she remembers a vivid dream in which she saw a child nestling in cupped hands. The dream was so vivid it remained with her and, with her mother's encouragement, she wrote to the vicar and shared the dream with him. He prayed with Jo, and when he declared 'You're ready!', this was the point when Jo made a conscious decision to commit her life to God, an important step on from knowing God only as her friend. The vicar also gave Jo his valued copy (given to him by his parents) of The Book of Common Prayer. This simple but significant gesture is a constant reminder to Jo of the commitment she made at that time, a decision that would make a marked difference both to her and those she would come into contact with.

Jo readily engages with people, relating very naturally and openly, and children, in particular, have always been drawn to her. At the age of sixteen, she secured a work experience placement at a local day nursery and Jo recalled one troubled little girl who spent the entire day clutching a greyhound racing ticket. The situation was obviously hindering the little girl's enjoyment of nursery activities but nobody could persuade her to let someone look after it for her. Jo, on hearing the little girl associated the loss of the ticket with the fear of losing her father, befriended her and before long became official ticket minder! Having spent much of her early life in hospital, Jo was also able to relate and offer reassurance to children at the nursery who were in the same situation. Jo remembers that her prayers at the time were very much along the lines of ‘God, help me to be what it takes to get alongside these children and help them'. Little did she realise the twists and turns her life would take.

Despite her mother's behaviour towards her and the rejection she felt, Jo remained secure in her belief in the ultimate goodness, reliability and consistency of God. This is not to say that she hasn't needed healing for the hurt inflicted during her childhood, but it is remarkable that from an early age God gave Jo wisdom beyond her years together with the ability to understand and to some extent separate herself from the emotional upheavals at home. She also continued to embrace God's calling on her life, and had a growing sense that one day she would be teaching people across the world how to work with children.

This didn't come easy however, because various people on her path through the education system tried to steer her away from gaining child-related qualifications. Despite this she emerged from university with her options still open having obtained a joint degree in psychology and zoology. Two nursing placements later where again her natural skills shone, Jo embarked on an M.A. in child psychology at Nottingham University and then, later gained a PHD. She did this reluctantly at the time but in a recent article Jo explains:

'Years ago, I laboured over a PHD, unable to say 'no' to the pressure to fulfil the academic accolade, fighting for freedom to breathe, to paint, to sing with the children He (God) had called me to walk with. A trip to China showed me how He used that prison to release others. As a Christian woman with a wiggly body…I was a reject in Chinese culture, but as Dr Jo I was to be honoured'.

Jo then recounts how God used her, in particular to bring healing to a Chinese lady she came into contact with. The lady commented 'Your body is broken yet you radiate with joy and are so whole'!

After leaving Nottingham University, she worked in the Midlands with those who had suffered severe trauma and head injuries mainly as a result of accidents. Jo was quite literally thrown in the deep end when on appointment to the post, she ended up treating casualties of the Derbyshire M1 air crash.

In the next edition of Caring, we see Jo working with traumatised children
in an African war zone, becoming author, trainer and respected speaker, and at the same time continuing as a Consultant Child Psychologist working with abused children and adolescents. As an aside, Jo said, with a twinkle in her eye, that her work in Africa was far less of a war zone that the difficulties she has, at times, experienced working for the NHS. I wasn't completely surprised by her comment because Jo is a pioneer in her field, and bringing about change in attitudes and practice can be a painful process. Yet her resoluteness to follow her calling to be a vessel of healing to children and parents through her work remains a priority.

Before meeting Jo I followed my normal pre interview modus operandi and entered Jo's name in the search engine on my computer. Amongst other information, it came up with a short section from an anonymous 'blog' (web diary to the uninitiated) written, we think, by a social worker, which read like this:

'I went on a child protection course today. The person who was leading was a fantastic lady called Dr. Josephine Joy-Wright. She was so bubbly and excited by her work.. it was inspiring'.

Here I rest my case until the next issue of Caring. And as for Jo's passion for gardening, the only response I can think of is 'Groundforce', eat your heart out!

For part two - click here

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