Presenter biographies: A to C

Liz Barclay is a broadcaster, writer and financial journalist. She has presented You and Yours on BBC Radio 4 and produced and presented other consumer and finance programmes including BBC2's Pound for Pound and Radio 4's In Business.

Liz writes for several monthly personal finance and small business magazines. She also has a background in family, consumer and employment law, welfare benefits and money advice, and spent five years with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) service as a counsellor, adviser, tutor and manager of three bureaux.

Nick is a clinical psychologist who trained in the US where he obtained an MA and a licence to practice as a Marriage, Family and Child Counsellor. He worked for ten years in a busy outpatient psychotherapy practice and became heavily involved in treatment development and training. He contributed to and edited books on psychotherapeutic theory and practice.

On returning to the UK he first became involved with Clouds House, an internationally respected addiction treatment centre, where he provided advice and guidance about assessment and treatment planning. He went on to run the treatment programme before being asked to take on running the charity as a whole in 1989.

He was a founding member and chairman for eight years of the European Association for the Treatment of Addiction, which is now the leading representative of the treatment sector in the UK. He remains on the Executive Committee and is a trustee. He is a trustee of the Nelson House Recovery Trust based in Gloucestershire. He has sat on the editorial advisory board of Addiction Today. He sits on the Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Committee of the Independent Healthcare Association.

Nick has spoken at national and local conferences and his advice is often sought by departments of government, including the Department of Health and latterly, the office of the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator. He gave oral and written evidence to the Task Force review of the effectiveness of drug treatments

Colin originally trained as a cognitive behaviour therapist at The Maudsley Hospital, London in 1980/81.

Since leaving the NHS in 1988 he has been working in the private sector and has consulting rooms at The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, and in Knightsbridge and Brighton.

He has experience in using both cognitive and behavioural methods to treat a wide range of problems including obsessive compulsive disorders, agoraphobia and other phobias, generalised anxiety and panic disorder, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, habit disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress related conditions.

Colin has appeared on a number of TV programmes, including the BBC series Phobias. He has also spoken on a number of radio programmes and has been quoted in numerous newspaper and magazine articles.

Pippa commenced her experience in the addiction field in 1986 at Clouds House - the treatment centre. Initially she joined the staff as an Auxiliary Nurse and a year later became a member of the counselling team undergoing training. While learning about the addiction process and the treatments she developed a particular interest in, and concern for, the way families were affected.

Later that same year she was a part of the team setting up a separate residential programme for the families of those with addiction. In 1989 she was appointed Manager of a counselling team and concurrently, Family Programme Manager.

1992 was the year that the decision was made to form a separate unit offering a range of services to families and Pippa was invited to set this up. During that period she increased her clinical skills by acquiring a Diploma in Family Therapy. Her most recent training took place at Bristol University where she achieved her MSc in Counselling Supervision, Training and Research.

In 1994 the service was relocated to offices in Salisbury from where the service continues to be co-ordinated and administered. Families may now receive individual, couples or family counselling, workshops, family support group, and often use it as an informal telephone advisory service.

Described in the Sunday Times as "warm, open and wacky", Pete Cohen is best known to the general public for his 'Lighten Up' weight control programme.

He began his career as a health and fitness professional. Having left school at 16 with one GCSE, he now has as an impressive list of qualifications including an MSc in Sports Science.

In 1999 he launched the Paul McKenna Sports Success Programme with Roger Black, and he teamed-up with Sally Gunnell to launch 'Lighten Up'. Pete has also been in the spotlight for his work with people who struggle with phobias, anxiety and image problems.

He has written three books with co-author Judith Verity: Slimming with Pete (Crown House), Doing it with Pete (Crown House) and Feeling Good For No Good Reason (Essentials). There is also an audio tape of Slimming with Pete available.

Julia Cole is a couple counsellor and psychosexual therapist with 15 years' experience of working with couples in therapy.

She also writes and broadcasts on relationship issues. Her books include the successful How to Stay Together Forever: How to Make Your Relationship Work and Keep it Working (Vermilion).

Julia is development director for The Pennell Initiative for Women's Health, a charity aimed at championing the health issues of women aged over 45.

Lyndel Costain is a state registered dietician, nutrition consultant, health writer and broadcaster on television and radio.

Over the past 17 years she has worked in both the NHS and as an independent practitioner, with six years as spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association (BDA).

Lyndel's clinical specialities include weight management and eating disorders. As well as seeing patients, she writes, broadcasts and trains other health professionals. She also works to improve national weight management services by serving on a number of advisory boards and committees.

Lyndel was Health Professional of the Year in 2001 and is a past nominee for the esteemed Caroline Walker Trust nutrition award. She also coordinated the BDA's award winning Give me 5 campaign.

Lyndel's books include Super Nutrients, Diabetes Cookbook, Easy Gluten-free Food and now Diet Trials.

Lyndel is a member of the BDA, Dietitians in Obesity Management UK, the Nutrition Society, Association for the Study of Obesity, Guild of Health Writers and the Eating Disorders Association.