About

I am a fully qualified Senior Accredited Psychotherapist with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, with over 17 years of experience supporting people with a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties.

I offer effective, empowering and evidence-based therapy, combining professional knowledge with a compassionate, honest and common-sense approach. My aim is not simply to help you understand why you feel the way you do, but to support you in developing practical skills and new ways of responding to life’s challenges, so that you can begin to move forward.

I have experience working with a huge variety of difficulties, including trauma, anxiety, phobias, panic, worry, burnout, PTSD, overwhelm, stress, depression, bereavement, workplace issues and significant life transitions. I also have a particular interest in trauma, anxiety, chronic pain and medically unexplained or persistent physical symptoms.

I have gained this experience whilst working in: NHS Talking Therapies service, university counselling service, drugs and alcohol agency, workplace counselling programmes, and as a training manager within a large counselling charity.

A Whole-Person, Trauma-Informed Approach

I am passionate about providing trauma-informed care and working with the whole person, rather than simply focusing on a diagnosis or a set of symptoms.

Sometimes we know exactly where our difficulties have come from. At other times, we may simply know that something doesn’t feel right. You may want to focus on what is happening for you now, perhaps anxiety, stress, panic, depression or overwhelm, or you may want to explore the experiences that have contributed to these difficulties.

There is no single ‘right’ way to approach therapy. Together, we can decide what feels most helpful for you.

Trauma is not always one dramatic event. I understand trauma as an experience that overwhelms our ability to cope at the time, given the internal and external resources available to us.

This can include what are sometimes described as’Big T’ traumas, such as road traffic accidents, sexual assault, threats to life or other overwhelming experiences. However, trauma can also develop through more subtle or cumulative experiences, sometimes referred to as ‘Little T’ traumas, such as bullying, repeated criticism, relationship difficulties, loss, rejection, neglect or ongoing exposure to harmful patterns of behaviour.

These experiences can affect how we see ourselves, relate to others and respond to the world, sometimes long after the original events have passed.

Flexible, Collaborative and Evidence-Based Therapy

I have always been someone who wants to help people in the most effective way possible. This has led me to train in a range of therapeutic approaches with strong evidence bases.

I initially completed an 18-month postgraduate CBT qualification in 2009, followed by further specialist training. Over the years, I have continued to develop my skills and have trained in a range of approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), EMDR, Polyvagal Theory, and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), alongside other trauma-informed, mindfulness and body-based approaches.

The therapy I offer is flexible and adapted to each person individually.

Every person brings their own history, personality, strengths, challenges and hopes for the future. I am skilled at weaving together different therapeutic approaches to create a flexible, collaborative and individualised way of working.

I work in a way that respects and affirms neurodivergent experiences, LGBTQIA+ identities and diverse cultural backgrounds. You do not need to fit into a particular idea of how you “should” think, feel or live your life.

My Personal Experience

Alongside my professional accreditations and qualifications, I know from my own experience what it’s like to feel stuck, hopeless, and trapped in worry and panic loops, to feel overwhelmed and out of control.

In my twenties, I struggled with anxiety, low self-worth and depression – with support and psychological therapy I was able to, first stop self-medicating with alcohol (I have been abstinent for 20+ years), and then begin to heal.

In my thirties, after years of debilitating chronic back pain,  I discovered the strong emerging evidence-base on how stress and psychological factors can often play a significant role in chronic pain conditions.

So as well as talk therapy, I encourage clients to also consider where they may be holding psychological distress in their bodies, to enable a more effective processing of suffering and distress.

By coming through my difficulties, and experiencing my own therapeutic journey, I am able to bring deeper empathy and effectiveness to the work I do with others. I have been able to create a meaningful and fulfilling life for myself, and I want that for you too because no matter how impossible it feels right now, change is possible and you don’t have to face it alone.

What You Can Expect From Therapy

I aim to provide a warm, safe and supportive space where you can feel comfortable being yourself and exploring difficult experiences at your own pace.

At the same time, therapy does not have to mean endlessly talking about the past without knowing what to do differently. Where appropriate, I will help you develop practical tools and skills that you can take into your everyday life.

My hope is that you leave sessions not only feeling heard and understood, but also feeling empowered, energised and motivated to make changes that matter to you.

Whether this is your first experience of therapy or your tenth, we can work together to develop a different relationship with difficult thoughts, emotions, memories and images.

If you wish to explore and process experiences from your past, I can support you with trauma regardless of whether it happened recently or many years ago. Equally, if you would prefer to focus on the difficulties you are experiencing in your life right now, we can work with those too.

You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. You may know exactly what has brought you here, or you may simply have a sense that you want things to feel different.

Moving Towards the Life You Want

You don’t have to wait for anxiety, difficult thoughts or emotional pain to completely disappear before you can begin living your life.

With the right support, you can learn to navigate challenges with greater confidence, respond differently to difficult experiences and take meaningful steps towards the life you want to live.

My role is to work alongside you, helping you understand what is keeping you stuck, recognise your strengths and develop the skills and confidence to move forward.

You are more than your past experiences, your diagnosis or the difficulties you are experiencing right now. Therapy can be a space to understand where you have been but also to begin moving towards where you want to go.

If this resonates with you please reach out for an initial chat and then we can take that first step together.