Meet our Team

Trevor Silvester - Company Director

I co-founded the Quest Institute with my wife Rebecca in 2000 to teach the approach I developed which we call Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapy.

I have a floating role within QCHPA, which mainly means I continue to advocate for a badge and unintentionally disrupt meetings with other unhelpful suggestions.

Rebecca Silvester - Company Director

I’m the Operations Director of The Quest Institute and a Co-Director of QCHPA.

I see my role these days as mainly lending a hand to anyone who needs it with the many projects we have in hand to support our members.

Anita Mitchell - Company Director

I’m Anita and have been practicing as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist since my graduation in 2007 and as a Hypnotherapy Supervisor since 2010. 

I am a Co-Director of QCHPA and have been involved since it’s very beginnings. 

Within the team, I am responsible for Supervision and Standards, and as client safety is upper-most in our therapists’ minds, I support them to ensure those high standards are maintained and reviewed. 

Russell Davis - Company Director

I’ve been a Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapist for 16 years, leaving my corporate career in business relationship management to establish my full time practice.

I have been involved in the QCHPA since its inception, being the chair for a number of years and now being more in the background, bringing support and advice as required. 

Sarah Ariss - Chair

Hello. I’m Sarah Ariss, interim Chair of the QCHPA and Training Manager for the Quest Institute. I have been in private practice as a QCH Therapist for about 10 years now and it has enriched my life in so many ways.

I am only too happy to be able to be a part of the team providing support and a wealth of resources for our members, as well as helping guide the QCHPA to a bigger and even better future.

Gemma Holmes - Social Media Manager

I’m Gemma Holmes, Social Media Manager for QCHPA. With a 15 year career in marketing and 13 years within the Quest family, it’s such a pleasure to bring these worlds together and share content on the My Quest channels to help you live your life, your way.

Follow My Quest on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for all things mental wellbeing!

Jan Scurrah - Members Manager and Administrator

I look after the Admin and Membership side of things within QCHPA and I’ll be your first point of contact if you have any queries or questions about QCHPA.

For our Members, I look after account queries and membership matters, including membership fees.  

I support Renna with our CPD and Questival Events and if you need any guidance from our Find-A-Therapist page, then just let me know.  I’m always happy to help.

Pat Duckworth - Research Manager

After 30 years working within the Public Sector, I retrained as a Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapist in 2010. Since then, I have been seeing clients and offering presentations and workshops on a range of wellbeing subjects.

I specialise in supporting women at menopause and have written five books on the subject.

I’m the Research Manager for The Quest Institute and look for opportunities to promote the research that the Institute has carried out into the efficacy of Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapy to alleviate anxiety and depression. 

Katy Webster - Project Manager - IT Support

My name is Katy Webster and I’m the IT Support Project Manager for QCHPA. I qualified with Quest in 2003 and although I’m no longer practicing, I’m passionate about making technology accessible and user-friendly for everyone.

I’m responsible for managing the website and membership system, and I work closely with David Price from Intrada Digital to ensure our technology is top-notch. I’m always here to help and answer any questions you may have tech-wise, so feel free to reach out anytime.

I’m pleased to be part of the QCHPA team and help make a difference in people’s lives.

Cathy Powell - Project Manager Resources

Prior to studying with Quest, I worked for many years in operational, planning and finance roles in the manufacturing industry and defence, then retrained to work in the special educational needs sector, supporting children, young people and their families. 

Since qualifying I’ve set up my own private therapy practice, specialising in neurodiversity and have also set up the operations for a schools-based therapeutic coaching company. 

As Research Manager, I look after the Qwiki knowledge base and source regular articles from QCHPA members for publishing in the My Quest Hub.

Events/CPD Manager

I’m Lynne Wilkins, Events Manager for QCHPA.

I’m a Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapist and coach with a particular interest in confidence issues.

With a background in PR and recruitment and over 25 years’ experience helping people feel more confident, clear and happy in their work and life, I’m excited to use those skills to help plan events that bring our members together, share ideas, and make everyone feel part of the QCHPA family.