About me
I offer online counselling for adults affected by abuse, coercion, and social upheaval, as well as those experiencing anxiety, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, or feelings of uncertainty and disconnection.
You may be trying to make sense of an abusive or controlling relationship, experiences of exploitation or mistreatment, or social and political circumstances that have affected your life. You may be struggling with something happening now, reflecting on the past, or questioning your understanding of yourself, others, or the world around you.
I aim to offer a thoughtful, supportive space where you can speak openly and explore your experiences at your own pace. You do not need to arrive with a clear explanation of what is wrong or know exactly what you want from counselling. We can begin with whatever feels most important to you.
My approach
My approach is collaborative, relational and exploratory, informed by person-centred and existential perspectives. I am interested in how people experience and make sense of their lives, relationships and circumstances, rather than interpreting their difficulties through a predetermined framework.
I do not work to a fixed programme or assume there is one right way to understand your experiences. Instead, I aim to offer space to explore what matters to you, including feelings, questions or experiences that may be difficult to articulate.
My work is also informed by an awareness of the wider social, political and institutional contexts in which our lives unfold. Emotional distress does not always arise in isolation, and our relationships, environments and experiences of power can profoundly affect how we understand ourselves and what feels possible.
I do not assume that counselling is necessarily about changing the way you think or learning to adapt to difficult circumstances. Sometimes it may involve questioning those circumstances, reflecting on what has happened or exploring new ways of relating to yourself and others.
Areas I work with
I have particular experience and interest in working with people affected by domestic abuse, sexual violence, coercive control and exploitation, including experiences in which their autonomy, safety or sense of self may have been undermined.
I am also attentive to experiences involving workplaces, institutions and other environments in which people may have felt powerless, unheard or mistreated, as well as the personal effects of political conflict, social upheaval and changing circumstances.
I also welcome people experiencing anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, life transitions and questions of identity or belonging. You do not need to identify with a particular diagnosis or understand your experiences as trauma or abuse to seek counselling.
What to expect
Counselling with me is not about judging your choices or telling you how you should live. I aim to offer a relationship in which we can think together with curiosity, openness and honesty, respecting the complexity of your experiences.
I work with adults, primarily online, with sessions usually taking place weekly. Home visits may also be available locally where appropriate, at a higher fee to reflect additional time and travel.
My fees are flexible according to individual circumstances, with online sessions usually £40.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a BACP-registered integrative therapist with a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (2023) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (2022), both from the University of Derby.
I am currently undertaking further training in existential-analytic psychotherapy at SAFPAC. My approach is primarily person-centred and existential, with an emphasis on understanding people's experiences in the context of their lives, relationships and circumstances.
Clinical experience
My clinical experience includes placements at Living Without Abuse, supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence, and with Falcon Support Services, working with people experiencing complex needs.
Before training as a therapist, I also worked as an outreach worker and group facilitator in domestic abuse services. This experience has informed my understanding of the complexities of abusive and coercive relationships, including the ways people's choices, autonomy, and sense of themselves can be affected by their circumstances.
Academic and professional background
Alongside my practice, I hold a PhD in Social Sciences from Loughborough University and have a background in academic research and teaching.
I am a Research Fellow at the University of Warwick and an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London, having previously held research and teaching positions at the University of Nottingham and Loughborough University.
My research has explored exploitation, vulnerability, institutional practices, and the ways social circumstances and relationships of power shape people's experiences. I have published work on exploitation and cognitive impairment, including in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, Journal of Public Health, and Sociology of Health & Illness.
Before entering academia and counselling, I also worked in journalism and international development.
This background informs my interest in the relationship between personal experience and wider social and political circumstances, including experiences that may not fit easily within conventional psychological explanations.
I bring these different strands of experience to my therapeutic work, while recognising that each person's circumstances and understanding of their experiences are their own.
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
£40.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My fees are flexible according to individual circumstances, with online sessions starting from £40. I also reserve a small number of reduced-fee spaces for people who might otherwise find therapy financially difficult to access. Please feel welcome to ask about availability when getting in touch.
