Kate Robertson obituary

My friend and colleague Kate Robertson, who has died of pancreatic cancer aged 65, was a child and adolescent psychotherapist who became head of child psychotherapy at the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and chair of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP). She was a passionate advocate for widening access to the child psychotherapy profession and helped to extend government funding for NHS child psychotherapy training.

Kate was born in Theydon Bois in Essex, the second daughter of Beryl (nee Jenkins), a secretary, and Bob Robertson, a company director. When she was 17 her mother died suddenly, and she went to live with her older sister, Hazel, who supported her while she continued her A-levels at Penwortham school in Preston, Lancashire. She went on to the University of Sussex, where she graduated with a degree in philosophy.