About me
Hi, thank you for choosing to find out a bit more about me and what my practice Essence Counselling can offer you. How are you feeling right now, right here in this moment? In these uncertain times we can find that all the things we took for granted are no longer there. Uncertainty and change is the only thing we can be sure of. What does life now hold....
Counselling is a talking therapy and it can be a scary thought talking to someone who you don't know. It can take huge amounts of courage to take that first step. To help make that first step a bit easier I aim to offer you a warm, friendly, safe, non-judgemental space in which you can explore issues that are concerning you.
We all face difficulties in our journey through life and sometimes those worries become too much for us to cope with. We can find it hard to speak to friends or family and find ourselves needing to speak to someone who will listen, understand, and accept us, just as we are. That is what counselling is there for - what it is all about.
Counselling isn’t about giving advice but supporting you through stressful times and life events. Being able to talk openly in private with a trained counsellor can help untangle some of the more difficult thoughts and feelings you may be experiencing. I aim to offer a place of safety, of trust and open communication. A place where you can be yourself in complete confidentiality.
I am a trained and qualified person-centred counsellor and psychotherapist based in Crieff, Perthshire. I have worked for many years within the NHS in different contexts and most recently was a counsellor attached to a local GP practice. I also volunteer with a counselling charity based in Perth.
We come to counselling for many reasons such as low mood, anxiety, grief, relationship problems, transitions in life, depression, sexuality issues, and anger issues among others. I believe everyone is unique and issues which bring you to seek counselling are unique to you. You are the expert on yourself, you know yourself better than anyone but sometimes along the journey of life, we find ourselves lost without a compass to guide us. A wrong turn and we find our self at a crossroads or at a roadblock and need a helping hand to get back on track - that’s where counselling comes in.
Training, qualifications & experience
COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills.
Dip. HE in Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy.
In addition I regularly undertake a broad range of courses towards my continuing professional development.
Member organisations

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership

Accredited Register Scheme
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
Brief Counselling
Therapies offered
Fees
£45 per session. Each session lasts for 60 minutes.
Concessions available for students and those on low wage or benefits.
Please contact me by phone or email for a free initial consultation.
Concessions offered for
Further information
I work within the ethical framework of BACP. I am a registered member of BACP. I am fully insured and hold PVG.