Susan Quilliam

Susan Quilliam

Susan Quilliam
Born Liverpool, England
Occupation Writer, psychologist, coach
Website
http://www.susanquilliam.com

Susan Quilliam (born 1950 in Liverpool) is a psychologist with particular focus on personal relationships. She works as an advice columnist, writer, broadcaster, consultant, trainer and coach. She works closely with several relationship organisations, including Relate and the Family Planning Association, and is the author of 21 books published in 33 countries and 24 languages, most recently the rewriting of the classic manual The Joy of Sex.

Early life, education and career

Born in Liverpool in 1950, Quilliam gained her Psychology degree at the University of Liverpool (1971) followed by a PGCE at Christ's College of Education (1972). She then taught English and Personal, Health and Social Education (PSHE) in secondary and further education (1972-1979) before moving to London to work in educational publishing (1979-1983).

In 1983 she established Jonquil Publishing (later The Chalkface Project, www.chalkface.com) a publishing company specialising in Personal and Social Education, whilst concurrently working freelance as a writer on relationships and sexuality. This later part of her career developed through advice-giving work as an agony aunt to various publications including Good Housekeeping, which brought a high level media profile. This was followed by the development of her career through authoring relationship books and articles; broadcasting, consultancy and training on relationship topics and coaching clients one-to-one.

Current and recent professional commitments

Advice giving

Quilliam is sex and relationship agony aunt for Fabulous magazine, Britain’s biggest-circulation Sunday supplement, as well as relationship columnist for Cliterati and resident psychologist answering patient questions for the Sexual Advice Association website. She also offers face-to-face coaching on personal relationship and intimacy issues. In August 2013, Quilliam was announced as the official spokesperson and Sex and Relationship Expert for the Durex brand of sexual health and pleasure products.

Authorship

Most recently, Quilliam came to the fore both in the US and UK for her rewriting of the classic sex manual The Joy of Sex. She has in addition written 21 books on love and sex published in 30 counties and 21 languages; three of her books have been written for Relate and The Samaritans, with whom she works closely. Since 2003 she has also been Consumer Correspondent columnist for, and a member of the Editorial Board of, the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. She writes regularly for British Sunday and daily newspapers plus several US and worldwide publications, was shortlisted for the Family Planning Association’s Rosemary Goodchild Award for excellence in journalism, and has also served as a judge for this award.

Broadcasting

Quilliam appears regularly on radio and television and from 2008-2010, co-presented a weekly radio programme, 'Sex in the City' with Jim Davis on LBC 97.3,[3] which was at the time the highest-rated radio programme in the 10-midnight Friday night time slot. She is currently on the Media Advisory team of the Enduring Love? project project at the Open University.

Consultancy

Quilliam consults regularly on relationship issues to organisations, charities and brands through surveys, reports, presentations and Advisory Board work. Campaigns Susan has worked on have won PR Week Award for Campaign of the Year and PR Week Award for Ethical Health Care.

Training, facilitation and presentation

Quilliam uses her teaching and facilitation experience to offer workshops on relationships and intimacy and is on the London faculties of The School of Life and Your Daily Bread. She is also a regular speaker at national and international academic conferences, and in particular has spoken several times at the Royal Society of Medicine on the links between relationships and health.

Awards

In 2009 Quilliam was named one of the Family Planning Association’s 21st Century Achievers. In 2010 she won the Erotic Book of the Year Award presented by the Outsiders charity for her rewriting of the classic sex manual The Joy of Sex. Campaigns she has worked on have won PR Week Award for Campaign of the Year and PR Week Award for Ethical Health Care.

Pro Bono work

Susan advises and campaigns for a number of charities dealing with relationship and sexual problems, including Relate and the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists. She is also resident psychologist answering patient questions for the Sexual Advice Association website and sits on the following advisory boards: Editorial Committee, Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care; Women's Health Concern. She is Patron of the Outsiders charity.

External links