About me
I see therapy as a safe place to speak about current difficulties, to explore the cycles that we often get trapped into and to understand that the stories we tell ourselves about the world and the self can change. I see my purpose as a therapist as being able to help those alternative stories develop, to nurture them by providing empathy, compassion and non-judgment - all while respecting the life experiences and individuality of the person opposite me. A person is never just a collection of symptoms, we are shaped by our histories, our families and our cultures, and I believe for therapy to be helpful it must take all of these things into account.
I provide a confidential and ethical service, abiding by BABCP professional guidelines. The hope being that in such an environment it becomes easier for individuals to be genuine and open not just with myself, but with themselves. We often live in a world that encourages us to put on masks if we want validation. Therapy is a place ideally where the mask can be taken off, and an individual can experience unconditional validation that is not based on doing or accomplishment, but instead on simply being who they are. If that value in oneself can be recognized then it can facilitate change in other areas of life too. In short, I believe that it is the therapeutic relationship that is at the heart of meaningful change, and that through dialogue we can imagine ourselves differently, be seen for who we actually are and still have our needs met.
As an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT), I offer an integrative form of CBT that starts with the assumption that we all have agency and power through our ability to think and act in certain ways, but that this agency is often restricted by our environment. These restrictions can either be dealt with through change or acceptance, and knowing which to attempt can often be a central focus of therapy. I integrate person-centred counselling, schema therapy and emotion-focused approaches within my practice, understanding as I do that different people require different approaches. There is no one-stop solution. Instead, there is a need to look at the evidence-base in psychology and collaboratively choose the approach that best suits the person.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have worked as a therapist in the NHS for nearly ten years, in that time I have worked with a wide range of individuals and helped them accomplish their goals. I have experience working with complex trauma presentations, personality disorders, depression and anxiety issues. I have found that often individuals have other challenges alongside their mental health, such as long-term health conditions or neurodiversity, that can make manualized treatment plans unsuitable. In those cases, I have co-developed formulations that take those challenges into account, and proceeded with a therapy that is personalized and sensitive to context.
As a neurodivergent individual, I am quite conscious of how certain therapies can be stigmatizing and re-traumatising, and I make an intentional effort in my work to avoid that pitfall. I have a professional interest in understanding the effects of trauma, of relational and attachment difficulties, and of addressing these difficulties with both dialogue, but also more body-focused, somatic strategies if necessary.
Recently, I have developed my private practice by setting up Metaxu Psychology. Metaxu means the space in-between the material and the transcendent. I chose this name as therapy is often concerns itself with the challenges of what is, and the possibility of what could be. My hope with Metaxu Psychology is to provide a community-orientated service that offers support to those who need it, that reconnects others with their values and points towards a shared future. I offer online, telephone and in-person sessions. I also offer walk and talk therapy in specific parks in Glasgow. This has been influenced by my own ongoing counselling psychology doctoral research into how movement and nature can facilitate therapeutic change.
- PGDip Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Royal Holloway University
- PGCert Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Practice - Queen’s University Belfast
- MSc Psychology - University of Coventry
- MA (Joint Hons) English Literature & Philosophy - University of St. Andrews
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The BABCP is the lead organisation for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the practice, theory or development of CBT. BABCP also provides accreditation for CBT therapists. BABCP accredited members adhere to the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics in the Practice of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and are willing to be scrutinised in this adherence as required.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£80.00 per session
Additional information
Concessions for unemployed, students and pensioners. Please contact for more info.
Further information
I offer 10min free consultations over video or telephone call. These are designed to get an understanding of your goals and whether I might be able to help you with them. They are also an opportunity for you to ask any questions that you might have. There is no commitment beyond the call, and if I am not able to help you, I will do my best to direct you to others who might be able to. Ultimately, these calls are a chance to get to know each other a little better and to see what working together would look like.
