Lisa de Rijk

Lisa de Rijk

Lisa, an ANLP accredited trainer, is Director of Awaken Consulting and Awaken School. Lisa also serves on the accreditation panel as an ICF accredited coach.

ANLP Roles



Lisa de Rijk is the NLP Specialist Envoy for Professional Standards and a Member of the ANLP External Verification Panel.

Lisa is Director of Awaken Consulting, a change management consultancy, offering coaching, training and personal development. Lisa is also Director of Awaken School, a UKCP accredited psychotherapy training organisation. Lisa is an accredited trainer with ANLP, serves on the accreditation panel and is an ICF accredited coach.

After starting her career in NHS clinical practice as a nurse, Lisa moved into NHS management in 1992, until she left to commence her own shared business in 1997. Using NLP as a launch pad, Lisa has developed extensive experience as a Coach, Facilitator, Change Agent, Trainer, Supervisor and Mentor. Now a Master Trainer of NLP, Lisa is also accredited by the UKCP as a neurolinguistic psychotherapist and has an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice focusing on the applied psychology of NLP. Lisa has recently completed a PhD in Psychology at Surrey University.

Key Experience with Awaken Consulting

Lisa has successfully developed the business to include a team of Associate Consultants, offering training, coaching and development services. Lisa worked closely with the NHS Modernisation Agency in implementing the national Clinical Governance Framework for medical and pharmacy contracts. Her work in the public sector includes the development and design of an innovative programme for Cardiff City Council working with youngsters at risk of offending behaviour.

Lisa’s most significant project in the commercial sector is to work as management development consultant and advisor to Northern Foods Group. She assisted the organisation to manage a changing agenda and to increase their market share of quality products.

Lisa’s recent groundbreaking publication on the applied psychology of NLP is currently being utilised by the US and Canadian Military to inform the development of a programme to manage PTSD for the US Veterans Association. She has added to this with her recent publication on the Clinical Effectiveness of NLP.

Key experience with UKCP

Lisa was instrumental in working with the Government and Dept of Health on the statutory regulation of psychotherapy, psychology and counselling and the White Paper on the regulation of non-medical professionals. She worked closely with Skills for Health in implementing the ground work for the development of National Occupational Standards for Psychotherapy. She also challenged the notion of a therapeutic mono-culture for psychotherapy and provided researched based evidence within the Dept of Health and House of Lords to counter the drive by the Dept of Health to exclude equally effective forms of psychotherapy.