Tanya Byron
Her career includes a number Consultant Clinical Psychologist posts with a specialisation in working with children and adolescents. She led a nationally recognised, NHS beacon-awarded, training programme for NHS and Social Care staff, focusing on managing aggression and violence.
Tanya's expertise extends to public speaking, writing, and broadcasting. She has been a presenter and on-screen expert in various BBC television series like Little Angels (2003-05), Teen Angels (2005), The House of Tiny Tearaways (2005-06), and Child of Our Time (2017), providing valuable insights into child development, behavioural and mental health issues. The C4 series Bedtime Live (2013), Newsnight (2014) and the Horizon series What's the Right Diet for You? (2015) and also the BBC series Lose Weight for Love (2016) gave national audiences an appreciation of issues around exploring and treating psychological and behavioural issues. This theme is further reflected in her columns every Monday in The Times that have been running since 2005.
Her BBC series Am I Normal? (2008) explored the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. She also presented The Truth about Child Sex Abuse (BBC, 2015) and The Truth About Improving Your Mental Health (BBC, 2021). On BBC Radio 4 she is a presenter and contributor to a range of programmes for one of which she won a Sony Radio Gold award (Face to Face, 2012), and, collaborating with Jennifer Saunders, she co-wrote the popular BBC comedy series The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle (2007). She has recorded three seasons of How Did We Get Here?, the critically acclaimed podcast about mental health she presents with her friend and The House of Tiny Tearaways co-presenter, the broadcaster Claudia Winkleman.
As an author, Tanya has published extensively, including books related to her television work. Her publications include Your Child, Your Way (Penguin, 2007), and the Top Ten bestseller The Skeleton Cupboard (2014, Pan Macmillan) which has been optioned for a television series. She is currently working on her sixth book.
Tanya has played a pivotal role in shaping national and international policies related to children, young people, mental health, and education. In 2007, Tanya was commissioned by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown to conduct an independent review on the potentially harmful effects of the internet and video games on children, resulting in the influential The Byron Review: Safer Children in a Digital World (2008) and its follow-up Do We Have Safer Children in a Digital World? (2010). Her work led to significant policy changes and was widely acclaimed by both the government and the public, both nationally and internationally.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to science, education, and culture, Tanya has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of York, the Open University, and London Metropolitan University. She holds the prestigious position of Professor of Psychology at Shangdong University (China) and serves as an Honorary Lecturer at University College London. Tanya is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and actively supports various charitable organisations, including Prospex, Relate, The Princes Trust, Grief Encounter and Place2Be and was a Trustee of NSPCC (2016-2022). Additionally, she continues her clinical practice as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist three days per week.