About me
There are times in our lives when any of us can go through distressing times. Where professional help can be very valuable in helping us work through difficulties that may seem hard to resolve. Whether struggling with anxieties, depression, relationship difficulties, life choices, or simply needing a safe, reflective space to talk and think things through, psychotherapy or counselling can help you find a way through stressful times. I have worked in many settings from psychological treatment services to heading up a university counselling service, helping individuals with the challenges they face, before developing my private practice. I work with individuals and couples, often students and academics for short term or long term work.
I also supervise other therapists.
Please feel free to get in touch if you would like my help.
I am a warm, supportive and very experienced UKCP and BACP accredited and registered psychotherapist and counsellor.
I first began my clinical work over 30 years ago, in further Education, following a previous career as a college lecturer in the social sciences.
Over the years I have worked in psychiatry in both London and Cambridge where I offered help to individuals and groups with a range of mental health issues from self harm to generalised anxiety and depression. More recently, I headed up a university counselling and wellbeing service for several years, developing expertise with young people and also offering psychological support for teaching staff, often with work related stress.
I have now returned to full time private practice, where I offer professional, confidential psychological support with relationship, mental health or emotional issues. Loss, divorce, mid life crisis as well as serious mental health issues can be worked through successfully with appropriate intervention- and with a compassionate therapist. I also have a particular interest in working with adolescents and young adults, at school, college, university and the world of work.
Working out what you need and how to get help.
When you are anxious or depressed, at difficult or distressing times, taking the first step to finding a therapist or counsellor takes courage; This is a crucial step on the road to feeling a bit more in control of your life.
Talking about your issues with a mental health professional or simply having safe space to reflect on life’s challenges with a therapist who will engage with your concerns can be life changing in getting you back on the path of a happier, more fulfilling life.
If you are a young adult struggling with anxiety or trying to work out which path to take, I may be able to help you. Adolescence is often a turbulent time for many teenagers and young adults.
I also work extensively with individuals, couples or groups struggling with making changes in their lives.
I run groups for women with post natal depression, or simply struggling with mothering. I am currently establishing a new group for women with post natal depression, this is open for referrals from GPs or you can refer yourself.
I offer short term, solution focused counselling or long term psychotherapy, both of which can be very helpful in bringing about changes, helping you deal with stress and anxiety and depression and improve your wellbeing.
You are welcome to get in touch with me today to set up an initial appointment. You can call me on: 07941760463 or click here to send me an email.
Where will the sessions take place?
My preference is always face to face, but I also work online. Getting to know someone is more difficult online and most people prefer direct contact that face to face work offers.
i currently work in CB2, close to the biomed campus, but a short distance from the centre of town if cycling or driving. There is ample free car parking available.
My background and Experience:
My background in the field of psychotherapy, counselling, education and training, as well as psychiatry and psychological treatment services means I have gained considerable expertise in offering psychological support and helping individuals finding ways through difficult times.
I have also worked with women and men in mid-life crisis and wellbeing groups in the voluntary (Charity) sector.
Supervision:
I offer clinical supervision for trainees or qualified counsellors and therapists - I am a registered supervisor with UKCP - see supervision link below.
My Approach:
There are many reasons why individuals or couples seek therapy. Sometimes, it’s not even clear why an individual finds their way to therapy. It may take time to understand a generalised unhappiness or despondency.
My approach is to listen and to offer an inquiring mind. I will comment, interpret and collaborate with you to reach new understandings of the processes that have influenced your life and affect your current difficulties and challenges. Psychotherapy can help us understand the unconscious processes that shape our lives, relationships and choices.
Understanding the impact of past experiences as well as current difficulties can help us take more control of our lives to make the changes we need.
Couple Work:
Couples seek counselling for many reasons. Sometimes, after years of marriage, couples grow apart, or kids leave home and individual partners find they are strangers who have lost touch with one another's needs; or have got stuck in negative ways of relating to each other, or one partner might have strayed off the path of fidelity; or perhaps couples simply feel that they have begun to inhabit different worlds.
These are some of the issues couples bring to couple work. As long as you each bring a commitment to explore the issues as you see them, couple work can be very helpful with a compassionate, experienced therapist, able to hear your dilemmas, reflect back, facilitate your processes and help you both find a way through to some clarity, whatever that might be.
I have found, over the years, that one and a half hours of structured time works best for each session, to allow adequate exploration of whatever emerges in order to fully appreciate the complexity of couple work with its emotional intensity and often accompanying anguish for each party. It is often a hard journey to undertake but can be very helpful in finding a way through to reach resolution.
Training, qualifications & experience
BA hons., MA., PGCE
Graduate of The Guild of Psychotherapists.
Other trainings/courses and relevant experience that have influenced my work prior to this include courses at:
- The Philadelphia Association
- The Institute of Group Analysis
- Psychosynthesis Institute/Trust
In addition:
- Working in psychiatry and Psychological Treatment Services.
I am a member of the following organisations:
- The Guild of Psychotherapists
- United Kingdom Council For Psychotherapy
- Council for Psychoanalysis
- British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- I am Bupa Recognised.
I work within the BACP ethical framework and UKCP's Ethical Principles and code of professional conduct, both of which help to establish best practice in the field of counselling and psychotherapy for clients.
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.
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.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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.
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 spent over three decades working with individuals and couples seeking to understand themselves better and work through the challenges they face.
Psychotherapy can offer a unique, reflective space that can be life changing. Whether you are looking for this or support with specific mental health issues, psychotherapy can help.
I have a specialist interest in working with both students and academics, since I headed up a university counselling service for many years before returning to private practice.
I also work with couples seeking to understand the dynamics between them and working out how best to resolve their difficulties.
Life sometimes throws up challenges for us all and finding a psychotherapist to work with can be very helpful.
Fees
£80.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Initial phone assessment lasting up to 15 minutes is free of charge. This is usually followed by an initial consultation of about an hour. My fees for individual sessions are from £80 for one hour (in certain circumstances, this fee can be reduced - I do allocate some low cost spaces).
Couple work is £150 per one and a half hour session.
Group Work fees on request.
Do get in touch with me today for an initial consultation, without any obligation. You can call me on: 07941760463 or click here to send me an email.
When I work
Daytime or evening
Further information
I am fully Insured. I have an enhanced CRB check.
My consulting rooms in both clinical practices are professionally designed rooms in confidential, counselling/ psychotherapy settings in Cambridge, each with car parking spaces available, on bus routes and close to the station.
