About me
I am a BACP registered counsellor in Swansea, offering person-centred and integrative counselling, with a trauma-informed and CBT-informed approach. I offer face-to-face counselling, online counselling via Zoom, and outdoor walk-and-talk or sit-and-talk therapy in local beauty spots.
My professional background includes eight years working alongside people with mental health needs, disabilities, additional needs and neurodivergence through my work as an adaptive surfing coach and care assistant. This has shaped the way I work: practical, respectful, adaptable and grounded in real human experience.
People come to counselling for many different reasons. Sometimes anxiety, depression, low mood or stress can begin to take up too much space.
You may be struggling with low self-confidence or low self-esteem, feeling lonely or disconnected, or caught in perfectionism and self-criticism.
At other times, difficulties in relationships or family life, bereavement, work-related stress, major life changes, or experiences from childhood can leave you feeling stuck or unsure how to move forward.
Sometimes the difficulty is easy to name; at other times there may simply be a feeling that something is not quite right.
You may notice repeating patterns in relationships, emotions or behaviour, or find that difficult experiences from the past, including trauma or emotional abuse, continue to have an impact in the present.
I tend to work particularly well with people looking for medium- to longer-term therapy, where there is space to explore these experiences and patterns in greater depth. Shorter-term counselling can also be useful, depending on what you are bringing and what you would like from therapy.
Practice description
Counselling with me is not about being judged, fixed, or told what to do. It is a collaborative space where you can explore what is happening at your own pace. I offer unwavering empathy, compassion, acceptance, honesty, and respect.
My core approach is person-centred. This is a client-led exploration, with the therapeutic relationship at the centre of the work. I usually work as a guide, offering structure and direction where helpful. I place significant importance on trust and a genuine connection within this relationship. I trust your own experiences as your truth, and we co-create a pace that feels right for you.
I have distinct interest in philosophy and questions around the meaning and purpose of our experiences, and of life itself. This includes the importance of responsibility, of acceptance, and what is within and outside our control. When working with clients, these themes can appear, and whilst this does not mean therapy becomes philosophical teaching, it does help me to understand how clients orientate themselves, and how they can find a way forward.
My intention
I aim to offer a professional attitude grounded in human warmth, honesty, and respect. The ultimate aim is to help you understand yourself and find your way forward.
Contacting me
Book here: www.cal.com/bookmenow
Google reviews: https://tinyurl.com/324w5ayr
BACP Counsellor listing: https://tinyurl.com/3vp5ut98
Psychology today listing: https://tinyurl.com/ycxh68bc
Training, qualifications & experience
Work experience
- Counsellor – Swansea Mind
- Counsellor – Anxiety Support Wales
- Surfability UK CIC - Adaptive Surfing Coach/Care Assistant
- Healing Waves Jersey - Adaptive Surfing Coach/Care Assistant
Counselling training
- Level 2 Counselling Certificate (CPCAB)
- Level 3 Counselling Certificate (CPCAB)
- Foundation Degree (FdA) Integrative Counselling (University of Wales Trinity Saint David/Coleg Sir Gar)
- Degree in Integrative Counselling (BA Hons) - (University of Wales Trinity Saint David/Coleg Sir Gar) - (PENDING)
Care/safeguarding qualifications
- Certificate Safeguarding Partnership Board - Adults
- Certificate Safeguarding Partnership Board - Children
- Certificate Oplex Careers - Youth Work
- Certificate Care Academy - Safeguarding Children
- Certificate Care Academy - Safeguarding Adults at Risk
- Certificate Care College - First Aid at Work
- Certificate MAYBO - Positive and Safer Approaches (De-escalation training)
- Various pieces of continuing professional development (CPD)
I have experience supporting people with anxiety, low mood, depression, self-harm, stress, self-esteem issues, food/eating struggles, shame, self-criticism, relationship difficulties, identity/life transitions, sexuality, men’s issues, cultural issues, spiritual/religious issues, work-related difficulties, obsessive thinking, childhood experiences, trauma, addictions, abuse, coercive or difficult relationship dynamics, including the impact of abusive and controlling relationship patterns.
Where appropriate, therapy may gently explore higher severity issues, such as those issues mentioned above. However, we can discuss suitability honestly and think about what support may be appropriate.
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
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£45.00 - £65.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer the following types of therapy;
In-person therapy - which offers a personal, private and contained space to explore what is happening for you.
Online therapy - which can offer a flexible and accessible way to begin therapy from a private space that feels comfortable to you. (Only available to UK residents/off shore dependencies and islands).
Outdoor walk-and-talk therapy - which offers counselling in a different kind of therapeutic space, where movement, fresh air and the natural environment may help conversation feel more open or less intense.
Outdoor sit-and-talk therapy - which offers a more settled and accessible outdoor option, where we can sit together in a suitable location rather than walk throughout the session.
Due to weather restrictions, outdoor therapy ceases October/early November, restarting in March/early April. Availability may vary depending on the type of session and location.
For the latest availability of all sessions please click below;
Book here: www.cal.com/bookmenow
A few reduced fee slots available.
Your first session
Before beginning counselling, I offer a free 20-minute initial consultation. This is not a full counselling session, but a chance to briefly discuss what you are looking for, whether I may be the right fit, availability, fees, and next steps. I may ask some initial questions to understand your situation, risk, support needs, and whether I am able to work with you safely and ethically. The first full counselling session is then charged at the rate which appears on this listing.
In the first full counselling session, we will start slowly and spend some time going through the counselling agreement/contract, boundaries, confidentiality and its limits, practical arrangements, cancellation policy, and any questions you may have. If we feel it is appropriate, we can also use assessment questionnaires. We may also begin to explore what has brought you to therapy, what you hope for from the work, and whether short-term, medium-term or longer-term counselling may feel most appropriate.
When I work
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