About me
I believe we all have an authentic self the part of us that knows who we are, what matters to us and what makes us unique. Sometimes life experiences mean we lose connection with that part of ourselves as we adapt, cope and try to fit into the world around us.
My aim as a therapist is to offer a safe, accepting and compassionate relationship where children and adults can feel seen, heard and valued. I believe people are the experts in themselves, although sometimes life can make it difficult to trust our own inner voice. Therapy can offer a space to reconnect with ourselves, explore our experiences and move forward with greater self-compassion and confidence.
I am a person-centred play therapist based in South Wales, supporting children, parents and adults. My work has grown from a lifelong desire to nurture and understand people. After over 25 years working in primary education, I moved into therapeutic work because I wanted to support children in a deeper way and understand what sits beneath behaviour and experiences.
How I work
I believe the therapeutic relationship is central to change. I bring warmth, curiosity and presence to my work, while also providing the consistency, boundaries and safety that help people feel secure.
With children, I follow their lead and respect their pace. Children communicate in many ways, and behaviour is often expressing something that cannot yet be put into words. Through play, creativity and relationship, children can begin to explore their feelings, experiences and sense of self.
I also recognise that children exist within relationships and systems. Supporting parents and carers can be an important part of helping children feel understood and supported. I offer parent support and therapeutic life story work alongside play therapy.
With adults, I offer a relational and creative approach. I work with people who may want to understand themselves more deeply, explore their experiences, reconnect with parts of themselves they may have lost touch with, or find new ways of moving forward.
I believe creativity can help us reach places that words alone sometimes cannot. My work with SandStory® and other creative approaches has shown me the power of expressing and exploring our stories in ways that feel meaningful and personal.
Alongside my child and family work, I am developing my adult relational creative therapy practice. I believe supporting adults to understand themselves with compassion and break unhelpful patterns can create positive change not only for themselves, but for relationships and future generations.
Beginning therapy
Finding the right therapist is important. I offer an initial free telephone conversation of up to 30 minutes so we can explore whether my approach feels like the right fit for you or your child.
If we decide to work together, we will meet initially to discuss consent, gather information and think together about what support is needed. I believe planned endings are an important part of therapy, and I usually recommend a minimum of 12 weeks for children and 6 sessions for adults.
I offer face-to-face sessions in Port Talbot for children and adults, and online sessions for adults.
If something in my approach resonates with you, I would welcome the opportunity to talk.
Training, qualifications & experience
My experience
I have over 11 years of clinical therapeutic experience, including more than 4,000 clinical hours across schools, local authority work and private practice.
My training includes child-centred holistic and integrative play therapy (PGCert and PGDip), DDP Level 1, TraumaPlay Foundational and Advanced training, Parent Child Attachment Play (PCAP), Heart to Heart, Baby Bonding, Advanced SandStory® Therapy, SandStory® Therapy training at Core and Advanced Level, and supervision training (CTSD).
I have experience supporting children and families with a range of needs, including trauma, attachment difficulties, adoption, looked-after experiences, emotional difficulties and challenges that may be communicated through behaviour.
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
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer a limited number of concessionary places.
