About Andrea – Andrea Sumner

Hi, I'm Andrea

For more than two decades, I’ve watched anxiety quietly shape childhoods and affect family life. I’ve seen bright, kind, capable children become so overwhelmed by worry that they struggle to learn, make friends, join in or simply enjoy being children.

But this isn’t just my profession—it’s personal. Because I was that child. I was the anxious, clingy little girl who desperately wanted to join in but so often said no. No to school. No to sleepovers. No to birthday parties. No to school venture weeks. No to ballet and gymnastics classes.

Not because I didn’t want to go but because I was terrified that I wouldn’t cope. If I did try things it would be once and then I’d not go again. For years, I called myself a “home bird” believing that was just ‘who I was.’ Looking back now, I realise that wasn’t really true.

I wasn’t choosing to stay close to home because home was the only place I wanted to be. I stayed because anxiety convinced me that the world outside wasn’t safe. Deep down, I wanted to join in, I wanted to have fun, I wanted to spread my wings and fly but I just couldn’t.

That experience led me to study and specialise in anxiety and emotional wellbeing so that I could dedicate my work to supporting parents and helping children nip these worries ‘in the bud’ and get the most out of their childhood.

As a teacher, I’ve spent more than 20 years supporting children and watching first-hand how anxiety can affect every part of a child’s life (as it did mine) not only their learning but also their confidence, friendships, independence and self-belief.

As a mum, I understand the worry that keeps parents awake at night. The endless searching for answers. The guilt, the self-doubt and the feeling that everyone else seems to know what they’re doing while you’re desperately trying to help your child.

Over the years, I’ve met countless parents who arrive feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

They’ve read the books, searched online, tried the reward charts, followed well-meaning advice and still find themselves asking:

“Why is my child so anxious?”

“Why are they so clingy?”

“Why does everything feel so hard?”

“What am I missing?”

The truth is, you’re not missing anything. Your child isn’t choosing to feel this way and you don’t need to become a perfect parent. What you need is support and understanding.

That’s why I created the Parent Empowerment Pathway. I don’t believe anxious children need fixing. I believe they need calm, confident adults who understand what’s happening beneath the behaviour and know how to respond in ways that help them feel safe enough to learn and grow.

I’m not here to tell you there’s only one right way to do things. I’m here to help you understand your child’s unique needs, whether they’re experiencing anxiety, emotional overwhelm or are neurodivergent.

Together, we’ll make sense of what’s driving their behaviour, strengthen your confidence as a parent and develop practical strategies that genuinely work for your family.

I’ve seen time and again that when parents feel calmer and more confident, children begin to feel safer too. Often it’s the small, consistent changes that create the lasting changes in a family’s life.

Professional Background

Alongside my experience as a teacher and parent, I’ve invested in specialist training to support children’s emotional wellbeing and family relationships in a way that’s compassionate, evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming.

I am a qualified Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner with a particular interest in childhood anxiety, emotional wellbeing, attachment and neurodiversity. Along with a Grief and Loss counsellor.

My work is grounded in current research into child development, emotional regulation and attachment, recognising that behaviour is communication and that every child deserves to feel understood rather than judged.

My Approach

Every child is different. Every family is different. That’s why I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all parenting advice or quick fixes. Instead, I work alongside you to understand your child’s unique needs, uncover what’s driving their behaviour and give you practical strategies that feel realistic, compassionate and achievable in everyday family life.

This is a supportive, judgement-free space where you can ask the questions that have been spinning round in your head, share the worries that have been piling up and leave each session feeling more confident and empowered than when you arrived.

My Values

Understanding – Helping parents make sense of their child’s behaviour so they can respond with confidence rather than confusion.
Compassion – Creating a safe space where parents feel heard, supported and never judged.
Empowerment – Helping parents trust themselves and become their child’s greatest source of confidence.
Respect – Recognising that every child, every family and every journey is unique.
Growth – Supporting lasting change through understanding, connection and practical strategies that continue long after our work together is complete.

My Mission

My mission is simple. To help parents become their child’s greatest source of confidence so that anxious children can gradually replace fear with courage, build resilience, discover their strengths, believe in themselves and in time, spread their own wings.

I truly believe that with your support today, we are not only planting a seed but we are nurturing it and in time your child will use these tools as a matter of habit. They won’t even think twice about them and when they do, they’ll approach life with a ‘sky’s the limit’ mindset, they’ll spread their wings and fly and won’t that be a wonderful sight to see.

What Parents Tell Me

One of the greatest privileges of this work is seeing the positive changes that happen when parents begin to understand their child’s anxiety in a different way.

Time and again, parents tell me it’s not just their child who changes, they do too. As they grow in confidence, family life often becomes calmer, communication improve, and children begin to feel safer, more understood and more willing to face the world around them.

My aim isn’t simply to help children feel less anxious. It’s to empower parents with the understanding, confidence and practical tools they need to support their child long into the future; creating calmer, more connected family relationships that continue to grow well beyond our time together.

Here are just a few of the things parents have shared after completing the programme:

“This should be taught in schools.”
“Every parent needs to know this.”
“I’ve seen a change in myself and how I talk to my children.”
“All my children love the Relaxing Cat technique – they’ve even taught it to Grandma!”
“My younger children are joining in too.”
“Thank you so much, Andrea. You have given us hope.”

These words mean the world to me because they reflect exactly why I created this programme.

Andrea Sumner