About me
I am a real person first and a counsellor second.
My training and experience matter, but I do not believe people heal because a therapist has the perfect technique or all the answers. I believe change begins when you feel safe enough to be yourself in the presence of another person, without judgement, pressure or the expectation that you should be different.
You may be going through a particularly hard time in your life right now, and need somewhere you can begin to look for light in the darkness, or find hope in a place that has started to feel hopeless. I will not rush you, fix you or ask you to pretend things are easier than they are. I will be with you as you begin to find your way back.
This is your space. You have choice and authority within it.
I will not position myself as the expert on your life or lead you towards a version of healing that I have chosen for you. You know yourself in ways no therapist ever can. My role is to be your guide and ally: to listen closely, remain curious and help you slowly make sense of what may have become buried, confused or too difficult to hold alone.
Together, we can explore how your past may still be showing up in the present: in your relationships, the expectations you place on yourself, the ways you respond to conflict, or the strategies you use when life feels overwhelming.
Our work will be collaborative and shaped around you. Some people want space to talk freely. Others find it easier to connect while drawing, using clay, working with sand tray, holding a fidget toy or simply sitting quietly for a while. We can use words, creativity, humour, silence and uncertainty. You will never be expected to engage with an approach that does not feel right for you.
I work in a trauma-informed way, which means that safety, trust and choice come before pushing for disclosure or change. You will not be asked to recount traumatic experiences in detail before you feel ready. If we begin exploring painful experiences, I will keep checking in with you so that we can move at a pace that feels manageable.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 Diploma in Humanistic Therapeutic Counselling
- Carolyn Spring’s Trauma Recovery Community (TRC): Ongoing in-depth weekly trauma training
- Dealing with Distress (Carolyn Spring)
- Working with Relational Trauma (Carolyn Spring)
- Working with Suicide and Self-Harm (Carolyn Spring)
- Working with Shame
- Gestalt Therapy
- CYP
- Home Start Volunteer
- On-set therapist/well being practitioner for TV and Film Productions
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I have a particular focus on developmental trauma, relational trauma and attachment wounds, especially where these have been shaped by adoption, foster care, social care involvement or growing up within the care system.
For people who are adopted, fostered or care-experienced, the questions can run very deep. Who am I? Where do I come from? Who do I belong to? Why did this happen to me? You may have had to grow up between different homes, different adults, different versions of your story, or systems that made decisions about your life without always helping you make sense of them. Even when care has been protective or loving, there can still be grief, confusion, loyalty conflicts, anger, shame, loss and a painful search for identity.
I am particularly interested in supporting care leavers and adults who have aged out of the system and are left trying to understand themselves beyond files, plans, placements, family narratives or the labels other people have given them. Therapy can offer a place to untangle some of this; not to reduce your life to what happened to you, but to help you make sense of how it has shaped you, how you have survived, and who you are becoming now.
I also offer therapeutic support for young people in Year 11 and above, including those who may be waiting for services such as CAMHS. This can provide a safe, consistent space while they are waiting, particularly where they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, shut down, angry, lost, or unsure how to put words to what they are carrying.
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Further information
I offer face-to-face counselling from a warm, private therapy lodge in Shoreham-by-Sea, as well as online sessions across the UK.
Local walk-and-talk sessions and home visits may also be available where appropriate.
The lodge has a calm, homely atmosphere rather than a clinical feel. We can make a hot drink, get comfortable and allow you a little space to exhale.
I offer a free 20-minute introductory call so that you can tell me a little about what you are looking for, ask questions and get a sense of whether I might feel like the right person for you.
There is no pressure to decide during the call.
This is your space, you have choice and authority within it. We can simply begin with where you are.
