Karen joined us in December 2022 to help cover some of our busy term time season, she has thoroughly enjoyed the bookings she did and is excited to take on more weeks during winter 2022/23, Karen is a fantastic nanny with experience working with children of all ages and we are so happy to have her returning to the team for a 2nd winter season.
Karen Farmer began working with children professionally in 2003 at Cornerways Children Services where she gained a Health and Social Care Level 3 with Children and Young People. In this role she acquired a huge amount of experience working within a therapeutic environment, providing a safe, nurturing environment where children were able to heal and recover from past experiences. This role covered most areas of childcare including supporting the children to achieve their educational potential and meet their health needs, as well as working with the therapeutic manager to identify the emotional needs of the child, set up the appropriate therapy and support the child throughout this process. In this role I also aimed to promote safety and protection of the child, liaising closely and confidentially with the police and local authorities.
Her next role as a Behaviour Therapist at Transitions, where she worked with young boys with a range of different personality and developmental disorders. This unit was an educational setting providing support and learning through play and the environment. Her role was mainly to provide one to one support to the children in helping them access the national curriculum at their own pace and level and she also aimed to promote the self-esteem, self-confidence and life skills of the child.
In 2008 Karen began working with a private family, working one to one as a behaviour and rehabilitation therapist for a boy with an acquired brain injury. The boy displayed extremely challenging behaviours and had an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Working closely with a clinical neuropsychologist, her role was to help provide and assist in all therapies such as physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, behaviour therapy and to provide a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment where boundaries, appropriate behaviours and life skills could be established.
Since having her children Karen has also undertaken an ABC Level 2 Award in Counselling Concepts, an ABC Level 3 Award in Counselling Skills and a 4-year Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy and Counselling Diploma. Following this she went on to work as a counsellor for Care for the Carers, Headway and as a school counsellor at a secondary school in Kent, before moving to the Alps in 2018. Alongside these qualifications, she has also undertaken workshops/training days in Epilepsy, Bullying Awareness and Mediation, Conflict Management, Child Protection, First Aid and Health Promotion, Family links training and certificates in nutrition and lifestyle in child development.
Between the above roles Karen also worked part of a winter season in Les Arcs as a Nanny where she provided care for the children whilst their parents were out skiing. This role included collecting the children from ski school, taking them to meet parents for lunch and lots of playing in the snow!
Karen absolutely loves working with children of all ages! From cuddling and nurturing babies, to arts and crafts, and having the excuse to play and be silly with younger children! We are very excited to have Karen on our team this coming winter season!
FEEDBACK WINTER 2021/22