About me
You may be feeling anxious about reaching out to someone with your concerns and challenges. Life can be complicated sometimes and seem difficult to navigate. We all have challenges that we may be facing now, or have faced in the past which are having an impact on our mood, stress levels, our behaviour and maybe our relationships, and there is great value in not having to face those challenges alone. Maybe you are dealing with anxiety, burnout, divorce, loss, disordered eating, or the effects of abuse or childhood trauma for instance. I aim to provide a warm, welcoming and safe environment for you to talk about these issues and explore ways to feel better, more in control, more relaxed and able to enjoy a restful night's sleep.
Counselling can be a challenging process in itself and it takes courage to trust another person with your inner world. But ultimately it can be very rewarding and liberating; providing insight into behaviour, removing the blockages to change and promoting healing.
As an integrative counsellor I have a variety of methods to suit my clients’ needs and preferences, and I am able to come alongside you and form an alliance that makes it possible to explore thoughts, feelings and difficulties. My way of working is very interactive and psycho-educational, so if you want to learn techniques and strategies to manage anxiety for instance, then our work together would be about exploring the physiology of anxiety and panic attacks and what can be done to help your body and feelings become more calm and regulated. If it was trauma related then we would be exploring some of the neuroscience which explains how trauma impacts the body, especially the nervous system, and causes a wound which needs healing and how to bring about that healing. I tend to work in a holistic way, exploring all the things that your body, mind and spirit may need and how some of those unmet needs now or in the past may be impacting you. I use a variety of ways to explore this such as creative therapy using cards, sandtrays and drawing materials.
I use practices such as mindfulness, guided relaxation and awareness of body sensations to facilitate an improved relationship with yourself. If existential or philosophical conversations are your thing, then I would be more than happy to explore values, beliefs and worldviews with you.
Research has shown that it is the quality of the relationship that makes the most difference to the outcome of therapy, rather than the methods used so my aim is to facilitate connection, relational depth and a collaborative therapeutic alliance which makes it feel like we are a team with a common goal, namely your healing from past wounds and insight into anything that you are not consciously aware of. We will work together to increase your sense of empowerment and agency in your own life rather than the powerlessness you may be feeling.
It can be difficult to make that initial contact and I am well aware of that so my aim is to make the process as easy as possible for you. If you email me we can arrange an initial phone call to talk about what you want to get out of counselling, I will explain how it works and we can discuss the practical details like availability and whether you would prefer to meet indoors, outdoors or online. This will help you to decide whether to meet up for a first session and start counselling together. Alternatively you can book a first session by email. Once you have made a booking I will send you some paperwork including a copy of my contract, a questionnaire about your reasons for pursuing counselling and what you hope to get out of it.
Outdoor Therapy
I offer an outdoor therapy service in the beautiful surroundings of Hogsmill River path starting from Bourne Hall, Ewell Village, close to Epsom. This would be suitable for anyone who is able to walk on the paths and talk at the same time without becoming breathless or too fatigued. It is advisable to wear suitable footwear and clothing for walking and the weather.
Contact me for more details about this.
Training, qualifications & experience
- DipHE Integrative Counselling Waverley Abbey College validated by Roehampton University
- Master Practitioner Skills in Eating Disorders - National Centre for Eating Disorders
- Seven years working in the NHS as part of the Nursing Team
- Counsellor with Heart and Mind London
- Counsellor with 96 Harley Street Ltd
- Honorary Counsellor with Women and Girl's Network at Ealing Rape Crisis Centre
- L4 Diploma in Swedish Massage, Anatomy and Physiology
- Continuing Professional Development Training including Trauma, Sexual Abuse, Sandtray Therapy, Gestalt, Internal Family Systems, Neurodiversity, Bereavement Counselling, Psychosomatic Therapy (the effect of trauma on the body), Gender Violence, Health Coaching, Wellness
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
Fees vary depending on the location and mode of therapy
When I work
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Evenings available, please contact me to find out what time slots are available.
