Meet the team

Jennie Macdiarmid Rockabye Co-Director and Operations Manager

I experienced perinatal mental illness when I had my daughter in 2010. Attending a Rockabye group where I could talk openly and honestly and spend time with her, helped us both so much. Other parents in my group spoke of how life-changing Rockabye had been for them.

In 2017, I started to volunteer for Rockabye, and I now work for the team. We are a not-for-profit CIC (Community Interest Company) funded by the NHS, Family Hubs and BCC. All three of Rockabye’s Directors experienced mental health difficulties when having our children and this is central to our work.

So much pressure is heaped on new parents and their babies, and I am passionate about supporting them. An honest, non-judgmental approach is the heart of Rockabye’s offer.

Katy Taylor Rockabye Co-Director and Lead Practitioner

I am a Core Process Psychotherapist, registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. I am experienced in working with adults struggling with anxiety, trauma and depression including post-natal depression.

I was drawn to the work of Rockabye because of my strong belief that nourishing the relationship between a parent and baby offers the baby the best chance in life, and it’s good for the parent’s wellbeing too. I trust in the basic health and wisdom of all people, adults and babies alike. This health and wisdom often get obscured by life’s knocks, but they are there.

I also feel the experience of babies often gets dismissed or overlooked in our culture. I love Rockabye because it offers parents a non-judgemental space in which to offload and be listened to, a chance to wonder about what their baby might be experiencing, as well as lots of opportunity for parents and babies to enjoy each other’s company.

I struggled postnatally with extreme anxiety and would have appreciated a group like Rockabye. With my third child I attended Lucy Livingstone’s Storydance group, which was the same format as Rockabye, and found it very nurturing.

Clare Beckell Rockabye Co-Director and Lead Practitioner

I am a registered therapist and clinical supervisor who has over 15 years’ experience of working with families and children affected by trauma and insecure attachments. It was through this work that I came to understand the vital importance of the parent- infant relationship.

A securely attached baby grows into a securely attached adult who is then able to make positive contributions to the world around them. I experienced postnatal depression with my first child.  It was a lonely and frightening time, and had I had a group like Rockabye things might have been very different for me.

I am passionate about Rockabye as I firmly believe it can make a powerful difference to the lives of parents and babies. Rockabye creates safety for parents to explore the difficulties of parenting and for them to nourish their connection with their babies. It is a privilege to work for Rockabye and for the brave families who attend our groups.

Lucy Livingstone (1962-2014) Rockabye Founder

Lucy was the founder of Rockabye. She was a Dance Movement Psychotherapist, who had a love of playfulness, singing and movement. Through her own experience of having children, and seeing the needs of other parents, she wanted to set up a group that would support the connection that was there between parent and baby.

Lucy’s philosophy was always to support what is working between parent and baby, to look for the health, to nourish shared joy and companionship.

Lucy handed the work on to us when she knew she was dying. Before she became too ill to work, we witnessed how she led Rockabye with a combination of steadfast depth and a light touch. To us she felt unrockable and unshockable and yet she was human, humorous, and self-deprecating. She was strong, clear and gentle. Lucy was an inspiration to us and we try to run Rockabye according to Lucy’s vision for it.