biographies

Dr Sandy Burnfield

Dr “Sandy” Burnfield is a retired Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  No longer involved in medical practice, he offers consultation, advice and supervision to health, social care and education professionals in the independent sector.  He supervises therapeutic sessions at the Corn Loft Art Studio in Hampshire (UK) and is Consultant in Psychological and Therapeutic Approaches to Fairways Care (UK) - a residential and fostercare service for children and teenagers in the south of England.  He is a Trustee of The Multiple Sclerosis Trust (UK), The Golden Buddha Centre (UK) and a Director of A. Burnfield & Sons Ltd (Farmers).  More recently he has become interested in exploring the therapeutic potential of Paso Fino horses - hoping to make this smooth gaited breed available for psychological and physical riding therapy.
 
An active member of the MS Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and having had the disease himself for many years, he is President of the Andover and the Winchester Branches.   He was the Second Jack Pritchard Memorial Lecturer and Gold Medallist at the Queen's University, Belfast (1983) on the subject of Doctors and MS Patients: Improving Communication.    He helped to found “Persons with MS International” and establish it as a central part of the MS International Federation (MSIF).
 
As well as facilitating seminars on the psychological impact of illness and disability he is an occasional contributor to TV and radio.   Dr Burnfield chaired the University of Southampton's MS Survey Advisory Group and was medical advisor for the film Duet for One.   He is author of Multiple Sclerosis: A Personal Exploration (Souvenir Press, London - reprinted 2001), and of other publications and translations on the emotional and relationship aspects of MS and disability.  His book for young people, Multiple Sclerosis (Need to Know) has recently been published by Heinemann Library.
 
Sandy is married to Penny, an artist/designer, and they live near the river Test in Hampshire, UK.  They have two daughters and five young grandchildren.
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