Trauma Consultant Alan Pike testifies as to Kate's mental health after release of Amaral book.

[Mr Gray]

Sadie.

You talk about 'compassion', but what you really mean is to ignore what the mccanns did, and give them unconditional support.

Yet you and your ilk mercilessly  criticize Amaral, who merely tried to do his job.

Also, of course km, was prepared to 'forgive' an abductor, for whom no proof exists, but her hatred of Amaral clearly knows no bounds.

Then of course she and her 'husband' ,claim to be devout Catholics.

You couldn't make this up.

 but you arte making it up...since when is it  a policemans job to write a book about an ongoing case. don't forget he was sacked from the case by his superiors

[Lace]

Kate's hurting but isn't suicidal
The Sun
 
By ONLINE REPORTERS
Published: 29 Oct 2007
 
KATE McCann's angry mother yesterday dismissed reports in the Portuguese media that her daughter was suicidal.
 
Susan Healy admitted Kate had been under "immense pressure" over daughter Maddie's disappearance – but said: "She would never contemplate ending her life, for two reasons.
 
"One, she still wants to find Madeleine, and two, for the sake of her other children, Sean and Amelie."
 
Susan hit out after a Portuguese magazine claimed she was worried about Kate killing herself.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article398418.ece

Wouldn't that be before Amaral's book came out?

[ferryman]

In order to answer this question, you have to know how a libel trial works. In Portugal, the main objective of the court is to find the truth not to convict someone. For example, in the USA, the prosecutor's goal is to convict the defendent, that's all, they are not interested in finding the truth of what actually happened.

In the pretrial meetings between the lawyers and the judge, questions are drawn up and which must be answered in order for the judge to come to his/her verdict. Then the lawyers must then find witnesses who can answer these questions. One question could be "Did the amount of information coming in to the PJ diminish after the release of the book?" Then the lawyer for the defense calls someone, obviously from the police, who can answer that question. In the questioning and the cross examination, the lawyers are not allowed to deviate from the object of this question. If they do so, the judge or the other lawyers can call them to attention. It is very rigid  how a court hearing is carried out in this country.

As for Alan Pike, one of the questions was obviously about the parents mental state and he was called by the plaintiffs because of his "qualifications" and contact with the McCanns. It is not the practice here to call other witnesses to contradict other testimonies, it is not a confrontational system. I believe, however, that in the closing arguments, the lawyers can bring up contradictions, etc.

The mother of Madeleine McCann spoke of killing herself after a book by the Portuguese detective leading the case accused her and her husband of a cover-up, her counsellor told a court yesterday.

Alan Pike merely reported what Kate had told him ....

[Lyall]

Wouldn't that be before Amaral's book came out?

About 9 months before (or thereabouts)

[Montclair]

The mother of Madeleine McCann spoke of killing herself after a book by the Portuguese detective leading the case accused her and her husband of a cover-up, her counsellor told a court yesterday.

Alan Pike merely reported what Kate had told him ....

But he tried to sell himself as a qualified psychologist and he isn't one.

[ferryman]

But he tried to sell himself as a qualified psychologist and he isn't one.

Where?



The mother of Madeleine McCann spoke of killing herself after a book by the Portuguese detective leading the case accused her and her husband of a cover-up, her counsellor told a court yesterday.

Kate McCann spoke of “not being around any more” and of taking her life after Detective Gonçalo Amaral accused her and her husband Gerry of faking an abduction after Madeleine had died.

Alan Pike has counselled Mrs McCann since her three-year-old daughter vanished at the Praia da Luz resort in the Algarve in 2007. Yesterday he told a libel hearing in Lisbon’s civil court that the book and subsequent film which claimed that Madeleine died in their villa had left her “devastated”.

Madeleine’s parents, both 45, from Rothley, Leicestershire, are suing Mr Amaral for £1 million over allegations in his book Maddie: The Truth of the Lie. The book was published in July 2008, three days after the McCanns had their status as “arguidos” — suspects — lifted. Mr Amaral also accused them of cashing in on funds raised by the Find Madeleine campaign.

“To understand the effect of the publication of the book and the following broadcast of the documentary, it’s important to understand Kate and Gerry’s recovery process in the 12 months after Madeleine’s abduction. About a year on, they were recovering from the most traumatic experience of their lives,” said Mr Pike, a clinical partner for the Centre for Crisis Psychology in Yorkshire.

Mr Pike, who was given special dispensation by Mrs McCann to disclose details of their counselling sessions, said that the speed with which the book was published after the investigation was closed had particularly shocked Mrs McCann. It “suggested there had been a relationship between them [Mr Amaral and the publisher] before the case was closed”.

“When they learnt about the contents of the book and its conclusions, this caused even more distress.” Mr Pike said that in a counselling session on 17 September 2008, Mrs McCann told him “that she had spent many days in tears, sobbing at the injustice of people who should be helping Madeleine”. There were times, she had told him, “that she felt so angry at Amaral and his friends” — including the publisher — “that she couldn’t get through the day”.

“When Kate saw the film, I remember her being further devastated,” he told the court. He described the couple as “angry, disappointed and frustrated” as well as helpless.

The case continues
 

Alan Pike would have been a bit of a chump to claim something not substantiated in anything about him readily available on line:

Summary

My experience is predominantly in the field of supporting employers and their people at times of stress and trauma, by delivering a range of support over a short period of time, focussed on them returning to normal routines as quickly as possible. This ensures a rapid recovery, minimal disruption to the organisation and promotes the the long term psychological health of the individuals concerned. CCP work accross a range of industries including retail, logistics, transport, energy, travel and tourism, leisure and hotels, and construction.

Specialties:- Face to face clinical support
- Telephone based counselling
- Training/preparation of those responding to trauma at work
- Mediation
- Online/E mail counselling.
- Flexibility to deliver support worldwide across all industries
Experience
CCP
Clinical Partner & Trauma Consultant
CCP
September 2004 – Present (9 years 5 months)

I am currently a Partner at CCP, a leading UK company who specialise in providing psychological care and employee assistance to orgainisations, their employees, and their customers.

(Open)4 recommendations, including:

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Clinical Consultant
CCP
September 2004 – October 2005 (1 year 2 months)

Clinical Consultant delivering trauma care to the employees and customers of CCP's wide range of clients.
Child Protection Social Worker
Local Government
September 1999 – August 2004 (5 years)

My role involved the protection of children in South Manchester in and area team, working with families experiencing domestic violence, child abuse, and fostering and adoption.
Skills & Expertise
Most endorsed for...

    13Counseling Psychology
    8Stress Management
    8Psychology
    4EAP
    4Stress
    4Training
    3Coaching
    3Crisis Management
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Alan also knows about...

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    1Healthcare
    1Succession Planning
    1Team Building
    1Training Delivery
    1Public Speaking

Personally, I don't think he 'sold' himself as anything he isn't

[icabodcrane]

Where?




 

Personally, I don't think he 'sold' himself as anything he isn't

In court 

Guerra & Paz lawyer,  What exactly is your profession ?

Alan Pike answers that he is a crisis councellor

GP lawyer asks whether he is a psychologist 

(  note here that Mr Pike does not answer the question directly  )

Alan Pike says that he has some competencies in psychology  ( psychology was one element in his degree )

GP lawyer repeats the question ...   "Are you a psychologist ?"

Alan Pike finally answers the question  ...  "No"

It should be mentioned that Kate McCann,  in her book,  frequently refers to Alan Pike as a  'trauma psychologist'  (  indeed,  he is referenced as such in the book's index  ) 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Why on earth would Kate McCann need to be in regular contact with a psychiatrist?   She is not suffering from mental illness.   Surely you mean psychologist?

Psychology is the study of people: how they think, how they act, react and interact. Psychology is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivation underlying such behaviour.

Psychiatry is the study of mental disorders and their diagnosis, management and prevention. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have qualified in psychiatry. They often combine a broad general caseload alongside an area of special expertise and research.

Alan Pike is neither a psychiatrist nor a psychologist.

Kate McCann could well have been in need of a psychiatrist for various reasons. Firstly there is the claim that she was suicidal and suffering from depression. A psychologist or counselor would have been of assistance in dealing with these problems, but only a psychiatrist would have been able to prescribe medication.

Secondly, it would have been prudent from a legal perspective to have built up a relationship with a medical professional (i.e. a psychiatrist) who would be able to give full testimony in court to Kate McCann's mental state. The findings of a forensic evaluation could have cleared several questions up.

It is true that it is understandable that KM continued to go to Alan Pike, rather than go to someone else, because a relationship had been built up with him over the years and she obviously felt comfortable with him.

But the point still stands that as a counsellor with a social studies degree, he is significantly less well qualified to give an assessment of KM's mental health than a qualified psychologist or a psychiatrist.

I myself studied psychology for several years as part of a social studies degree,  in the psychology department of a prestigious institution, and I would not in any way shape or form consider myself able to give anything but the broadest assessment of a particular individual's situation. You have all heard my comments from the peanut gallery on this forum.

Alan Pike admittedly has many years as a counselor behind him. But he is still far from the best person for the job, and more to the point a strange choice of witness in a court case instigated by the McCanns on a grave and complex matter.

[John]

I have seen him referred to as an expert witness but that is not the case.  An expert witness comes to a court as an independent witness with expert opinion on some subject or other relevant to the case in hand.  Mr Pike is a family witness who has merely testified as to the effect the book and the video had on the McCann family.  He is obviously not an independent witness and has been called to testify by the plaintiffs in order to support their allegations.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I have seen him referred to as an expert witness but that is not the case.  An expert witness comes to a court as an independent witnesses with expert opinion on some subject or other relevant to the case in hand.  Mr Pike is a family witness who has merely testified as to the effect the book and the video had on the McCann family.  He is obviously not an independent witness and has been called to testify by the plaintiffs in order to support their allegations.

That is an important point - he is not an 'expert witness' according to the legal definition.

But KM could have benefited nonetheless with her own personal expert present to testify accurately as to the develpment of her own mental health situation over the years.

[Mr Gray]

I find it absolutely absurd that posters on this forum feel they are in a position to tell two doctors that there choice of medical treatment was wrong.

[slartibartfast]

I find it absolutely absurd that posters on this forum feel they are in a position to tell two doctors that there choice of medical treatment was wrong.

I had a friend who was a Clinical Psychologist and was not a great believer in depression, she unfortunately had a major breakdown and has suffered serious depression every since.

Just because someone is a professional does not make them incapable of being wrong, even in areas close to there specialism.

[icabodcrane]

I find it absolutely absurd that posters on this forum feel they are in a position to tell two doctors that there choice of medical treatment was wrong.

They havn't been questioned about their choice of medical treatment  ...  they have been questioned about their choice of Alan Pike as a  witness  to their mental health

[Mr Gray]

They havn't been questioned about their choice of medical treatment  ...  they have been questioned about their choice of Alan Pike as a  witness  to their mental health

Do you suffer from a short memory? you yourself were suggesting kate needed to see a psychiatrist, so were several other posters

[pinkblossoms]

I would be a mental wreck if someone had taken my child, i'd need more than a bloody psychiatrist.