About me
I’m Christina, a trauma and relationship therapist, specialising in domestic abuse & eating disorders. I work with both individuals and couples.
Wherever you are in your journey right now, you are not alone. Being here and making the decision to start counselling is a brave step forward and I will sit alongside you as we figure it out together, one step at a time.
Counselling is a space to explore ourselves deeply and I sit alongside clients through it all, tears, pain and even the good moments without judgement.
Areas of support
I work with many issues you may wish to bring to counselling including anxiety & depression, supporting you to make meaningful changes and take back control of your life as we all deserve to have good mental health. Whatever you choose to talk about, I ensure you are truly heard, seen and validated.
I also specialise in relationship difficulties, domestic & sexual violence and eating disorders. Our relationships can have a significant impact on our mental health and how we feel about ourselves. These areas have developed from both my own personal and professional experiences where counselling was transformative for me. My purpose is to carry forward this experience and personal understanding into the work I do with clients.
I also work with couples where relationship difficulties and past trauma may be impacting the relationship.
How I can help?
As a counsellor, I will offer you a calm and gentle space for you to explore your experiences at a pace that feels right for you. I offer you a relationship based on trust and care, where you are believed and met with empathy.
Together, we explore and make sense of your experiences and how these experiences have shaped the way you see yourself, your relationships, and your body.
My approach is integrative, meaning I combine different therapeutic approaches. No two sessions or people are the same and I work with you to find what works for you. This may include attachment work to explore relationship patterns, trauma and somatic approaches to gently process experiences held within the body and nervous system, alongside CBT techniques (where appropriate) to help challenge self-critical thoughts, anxiety, and unhelpful coping patterns. Finally, I use compassion-based approaches to help you develop kindness towards yourself and to improve overall self-worth and wellbeing.
For survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, I help you to safely process and recognise your experiences. I have significant awareness of coercive control and manipulative behaviours and if you are unsure whether you are in an abusive relationship, I can offer you support and guidance. In recovering from domestic abuse, I help you to feel safe again and rebuild your identity and self-worth. I work with you to gently come to see yourself as deserving of kind and respectful relationships with others, yourself and your body.
For disordered eating and body image issues, I work with you to break difficult cycles around food, exploring how you may use food and your body to cope or process your emotions. I help you to break restrictive and/or binge-eating habits in a compassionate way.
I aim to help you move away from shame and survival mode towards greater self-understanding, confidence, and self-compassion.
I am also trained in the Rewind Technique, which can help process traumatic memories, such as abuse or single-incident trauma, in a contained and gentle way.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, I offer a safe and supportive space where these can be explored openly and without judgment.
Practical Information
I offer both face-to-face and online sessions in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent. Reduced rates are available for students and NHS staff, and I have experience supporting counselling students throughout their training.
You are welcome to get in touch to arrange a free initial call. This gives us the opportunity to explore what’s brought you to therapy and whether we feel like a good fit to work together.
Training, qualifications & experience
- MSc Psychology of Coercive Control
- Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Qualified Independent Domestic Violence Advisor
- Psychological Advocacy Towards Healing
- Transactional Analysis 101
- Suicide First Aid Trained (ASIST)
- Mental Health First Aid Trained
- Counselling for ADHD and Neurodivergence
- Rewind Training for Trauma
I worked for several years as an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor for charities including Women’s Aid, supporting women and men experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence. This work encouraged me to pursue my counselling training and support people to recover from their experiences of abuse.
I also have a master's degree in the Psychology of Coercive Control and have specific therapeutic and recovery techniques with survivors of abuse, particularly those who have experienced psychological and emotional abuse.
I have particular experience in:
- Narcissistic or abusive relationships
- Ongoing relationship difficulties (family, romantic, or friendships)
- Fear of abandonment or rejection sensitivity
- Feeling anxious or “on edge” in relationships
- Sexual violence
- Heartbreak or difficult endings
- Trauma bonds
- Childhood trauma or attachment wounds
- People-pleasing and low self-worth
I have also worked within the NHS offering psychological interventions for anxiety, depression, panic attacks and phobias with several years experience in the Community Mental Health Teams working with self-harm and thoughts of suicide. I combine both my NHS and private practice experience to support my clients to make meaningful and lasting changes that improve their low mood and anxiety effectively.
I currently work for the University of Staffordshire as a counsellor for students and young people offering counselling around anxiety and stress management, low mood and self-harm.
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
Trauma bonds
Coercive control
Betrayal / ‘cheating’ trauma
Fees
£35.00 - £70.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer varying discounts to individuals in the following categories:
- Students
- NHS Staff
- People referred from a domestic abuse agency/charity
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
