About me
Finding a therapist and a therapy approach that works for you and your unique response to life’s challenges can be difficult. Some therapy approaches suit certain people better and it can be confusing to know what kind of therapy to choose. In my therapeutic work I draw on a number of approaches and have a diverse skill set and clinical experience. Ultimately, we are all uniquely complex beings and research shows that it is our capacity (as therapist and client) to work well together in therapy that is central to your healing and growth. I am a compassionate practitioner who welcomes you as you are and who is committed to a holistic, tailor-made approach to your therapy.
I have a wide range of training and experience that can meet you where you are in mind and body. I’m able to offer diverse ways of exploring difficulties through talking as well as movement, breath and body-based exercises/processes, if you choose to work in this way.
Our bodies are a deep source of wisdom and truth and it is the body that speaks louder than words often. We describe feeling heartbroken, of having butterflies in our stomach and having gut reactions to things (in grief and anxiety), all of which are indicators of the body’s role in our emotions and nervous system states. We also talk about feeling frozen, weighed down and spineless (in depressed or fearfully overwhelmed states). This relates to mindbody experiences that when explored through posture/gesture and movement can reveal and release material for healing through verbal and non-verbal exploration.
Just as one cannot learn to do most things in life from words alone it is a natural, holistic and compassionate act to include the body and movement in our healing.
So this can form part of the therapy should you wish to explore this too.
I have a particular commitment to acknowledging power dynamics in therapy and see you as an expert in your own healing. I also acknowledge that we cannot heal alone, and so therapy is deeply collaborative, relational and is a systemic process that acknowledges social and political contexts (not just the personal). I do not uphold the view that people alone are ‘sick’ but that pathologising individuals keeps systems of oppression intact.
I welcome people with diverse lived body experiences, including those that identify as neurodiverse and/or LGBTQIA, where a safe space to explore body-based narratives and felt sense experiences related to the above is needed.
Please contact me for a free introductory session to discuss your therapy needs and to find out about how we can work together in a way that is suited to you and the challenges you are facing.
Training, qualifications & experience
I qualified as a Psychotherapist in 2012 and am a highly experienced practitioner with a broad range of experience and training. I have worked as a university lecturer and clinical supervisor on a clinical psychotherapy training, in the NHS working with psychosis, and have held a senior post as a diagnostic assessor for autism in specialist settings for children and adolescents. I am currently also a lecturer and trainer in ecopsychology and can incorporate working in and with nature into the therapy process, if this is something you would like to explore.
I have experience of working with a wide range of challenges and mental health difficulties including: Anxiety, Depression, Dissociation, Psychosis, Borderline Personality Disorder, Complex Trauma, Suicidality, Self-Harm, Disordered Eating, Body Dysmorphia and Neurodiversity related challenges to well-being. (However, I actively challenge these labels and explore how to reclaim the stories of our deeply creative responses to our traumatised cultures)
I have experience with neurodiversity and am qualified to administer the ADOS and ADI-R diagnostic schedules for Autism in children and adults. These are the gold standard diagnostic tools used in Autism diagnosis.
I also have experience working with children and adolescents in my clinical work and welcome enquiries from parents/carers/adoptive parents with young people who have experienced developmental trauma and/or have additional diagnoses.
Member organisations
ADMP UK is the professional organisation for the profession for Dance Movement Psychotherapy in the United Kingdom.
They aim to support the development of DMP in the UK and internationally; foster communication among Dance Movement Psychotherapists (DMPs); and promote the use of DMP throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£45.00 - £60.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I operate a sliding fee scale and trust my clients to choose the fee scale that feels right for their financial situation. Students and those on low income are welcome in taking the lower end of the fee bracket, for example.
I appreciate that the financial investment in our psychological well being can be a struggle. I try to support access to therapy with a sliding scale and discretionary discounts where possible
