About me
Sometimes our challenges seem complex and require us to painstakingly pick through with someone empathic, qualified and able to hold us as we grapple with emotions and thoughts that we might find very difficult. Others may seem less complicated, and yet having a genuine, empathic, non-judgemental and valuing person to listen as we navigate our way through is validating, and allows us to reach conclusions and solutions that work best for our particular life situations. Whatever your situation, I will strive my best to offer you a place that is safe, warm and open.
It can be difficult to know who to trust with our innermost worries, fears, concerns, joys and anything else going on in our life and I hope you do find someone to talk to, because that is the most important thing.
I know how daunting the first therapy session can be and to help you with this, I offer a free 20 minute video consultation, where you can gauge whether I am the right person for you. In this call, we will talk about what has brought you here, what you hope to get from therapy, and if working together has potential to help you make the changes you want. You can also confirm my credentials, for instance my registration and accreditation with the BACP, and ask any questions that you may have. Contact me via the details on this page and I will contact you back to arrange a time for this.
In our first session proper, we will go through a contract that highlights our expectations of each other, timings, attendance etc. We will then start to look at what brought you to seek counselling. There is no obligation for how many sessions we have together. I offer both short and long term counselling. You can stop at anytime, that decision is in your control.
I work face to face in comfortable counselling rooms next to Basingstoke Hospital, just off the A340 and A339. The rooms are on the 1st floor, accessible with parking available on site and easy to get to by bus.
My online counselling work is done from a private and confidential room in my home.
I believe everyone should have access to good, safe and qualified therapy and I have a few spots for people who due to illness, frailty or other disability cannot attend a face to face appointment and are unable to do online/video counselling sessions. You would need to have access to a private and confidential space and parking nearby. Due to travel costs (which I meet), I can only offer a few spaces within 30miles of Tadley. Do contact me and we can have a conversation about your situation and my availability.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have worked for over 5 years as a counsellor in the NHS in one of two specialist centres in the country for people undergoing intensive cancer surgery. I support people before they come into hospital and explore their concerns, worries and fears. Illness is such an individual experience, and we are not always sure whether what we are feeling is normal. Together, we look at their strengths and ways of coping, some of which may now feel inadequate. We work together to find ways to tap into existing resilience and add new perspectives that can help them adjust as they go through treatment and recovery.
When you have never been in hospital, it can be daunting to imagine what it will be like. We worry that issues that are significant to us might seem absurd to others or whether what we are feeling is "normal" and we might feel that we have nowhere to take those concerns. Illness happens in the midst of life, and I offer counselling support on other aspects of people's lives that they may be struggling with, as a result of or independent of the illness. I support them and their families once they are admitted and until they are discharged, 3-4 weeks later, sometimes longer, both in the ward and in intensive care. Common challenges include but are not limited to: pain, body changes and autonomy, coping with a stoma, sleep, fatigue, delirium and hallucinations, coping with complications, histology reports, scans and living with the possibility of recurrence, and the adjustments they will have to make.
People worry about family, work and finances and how their lives will change. Illness affects every member of the family differently, and we are often depleted at a time when we need each other most. We also want to protect our loved ones; and it can help to talk freely and safely to someone outside of our family and friend circles. Talking through all that is going on for them allows them to focus much of their energy on physical recovery.
I worked for more than 10 years in the community with people with a MH health diagnosis, substance use, physically disabled, learning difficulties and or autism. I use that experience to inform my counselling practice. It is a challenge to feel like one's experiences have moved them into the edges of society. This leads to even more isolation and loneliness. People who I have supported through counselling tell me that having that space offers them a connection to parts of themselves that have shut down for years and begins to give them the confidence to start to experience themselves and others more fully. I offer counselling a few hours a week at a charity that supports people as they rebuild their lives around their new reality.
We have universal challenges whatever our backgrounds and I work with people regardless of how they identify. I do understand intimately the challenges that Black and brown people, and white people who have migrated can face in a new culture. That sense of perhaps not being well understood while navigating a system and way of life very different to what we know can be daunting and lonely. Bearing responsibilities here and back home can feel debilitating. I can help you talk through those concerns and adjust in a more meaningful and healthy way for you. I also welcome LGBTQ+ people and especially those unable to fully express themselves because of fear of social and cultural alienation and disapproval. I can offer you a safe space, and while I may not have specific experience of your cultural and or religious landscape, I will do the work of consistently informing and educating myself in order to support you in the most helpful way for you.
I have worked with many clients as they try and make sense of their relationships, whether that be romantic and intimate, or familial ones. Mothers and fathers trying to understand their children as they grow and change, and children who may be finding their relationships with parents and siblings challenging; as well as aging and changing roles and responsibilities within families.
I have a Master's degree in environment and development. At a time when climate and eco concerns are at the forefront in many people's minds, that knowledge has been helpful when offering therapy to people with, quite understandably, deep climate and ecological concerns and anxieties.
I have worked on employment assistance (EAP) helplines and crisis helplines and offer both short- and long-term counselling. There is no obligation for how many sessions you do.
I offer support and reflective practice to medical staff and Level 2 training. I have been a tutor in Level 2 and 3 Counselling skills and I speak at cancer and BAME conferences on mental wellbeing.
My Qualifications and Training: I am a registered counsellor and accredited by the BACP. Accreditation by the BACP, "aims to recognise the achievement of high standards of knowledge, experience and development in counselling and psychotherapy."
I hold a Higher National Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling. I do regular training, workshops and courses for continuous personal development in all areas connected to my work with clients work, such as loss, grief and bereavement, trauma and transformative growth, relationships, working with children, neurodiversity and many more.
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.
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
£57.00 per session
Further information
Our work together: Our challenges can feel complex, requiring us to painstakingly pick through as we grapple with emotions and thoughts we find very difficult. Others, while seemingly less complicated still impact our lives. Having a genuine, warm, empathic, non-judgemental and respectful person to listen as we navigate through is validating. It helps us to reach conclusions and solutions that work best for our particular life situations. I strive to be this person for each client that I see.
I am committed to a confidential and accepting environment where you can explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours safely and find ways of coping with a specific issue causing you distress, personal disquiet, discomfort or vulnerability, or to see things more clearly. This can help us adjust and make changes. I believe that through self-discovery comes greater self-awareness, greater choice and can lead to the freedom and courage to embrace life and all its potentialities; to move away from aspects of your life you are not happy with, or to keep them, but within a changed perspective where you feel you are in control.
I aim to work with you to enable you to tap into your own sense of agency, see things differently, enhance your life and live more fully.
My Approach: As a person centred counsellor, I believe you are the expert in a life that is uniquely yours. I hope to facilitate you to use our time together in therapy for what you need, whether that is for increased self-understanding, to feel heard, supported and understood, or to look at specific experiences and their impact on your life. This need may not be clear and will be part of an ongoing discussion and may very well change over the course of therapy, which is okay as only you truly know your pain and what you need to focus on.
