This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
How Counselling can help
When life gets hard or distressing it sometimes becomes overwhelming and we are unable to make sense of our thoughts or feelings. We just get on with life and deal with things as they arise. Sometimes we get bogged down and need some additional supports to help make sense of things. We can underestimate how events and traumas can affect us and although we may manage to keep on top of things, sometimes for some reason this is no longer the case and our coping mechanisms no longer work. Life experiences shape the way we interact with the world. We cannot change the past but we can change the way we feel about things and how we move forward in our lives.
A bit about me
As a qualified counsellor, I believe in building a warm, trusting, non-judgemental relationship and believe that these values are the most important aspects of working together to enable change. Working with the client always at the centre, I work with people of all ages. I enjoy working with both young people and with adults. I am also qualified in Coaching and sometimes counselling and coaching can work well together depending on your needs. This is always led by you
I have worked specifically with people who have experienced issues around drugs, alcohol, trauma, domestic abuse, LGBT+, disordered eating, relationship issues, anxiety, depression and childhood sexual abuse.
My initial training was humanistic (which means focusing on the the whole person) and over the years I have completed additional training in a variety of theories (including psychodynamic, CBT, and solution focused) and have developed a range of ways of working to suit the individual.
Everyone is different and everyone has different needs, acknowledging that what might work for one may not work for another.
I acknowledge that the hardest part is to make initial contact.
Training, qualifications & experience
A little introduction to me and my experiences:
My interest in counselling took me into training in the late 1990's. I initially completed a Humanistic Diploma before moving on to training in other models including CBT, psychodynamic and solution focused to enable me to tailor the service I offer to individuals needs.
Humanistic therapy is focused on helping people overcome their difficulties through personal growth.
My first years after qualifying, with a Diploma in Humanistic counselling, back in 2002 were spent working mainly with people who were affected by drugs and/or alcohol and addictions. This was both people who used substances and people who supported those using substances. I worked with both young people and adults.
Following on from that I moved to Women's Aid, a domestic abuse service. During this time I developed my private practice and currently work with both males and females who presented with a variety of issues. I find that although clients may contact to refer with a specific issue, it may not always be the issue that they want to address so I am happy to be led, in a truly person centred way, by the needs of the individual.
I currently work with adults and young people who present with an array of different concerns including trauma, stress, sadness, depression, dissociation, self esteem, disordered eating, self-confidence, anxiety, family/relationship issues, aging and retirement and phobias, to name but a few.
Having a qualification in coaching offers additional supports to compliment the counselling courses I have completed and coaching can also be used to help you move forward. Being able to use counselling and coaching together can also be useful with the clients needs in mind at all times.
I have completed specific training in working with eating disorders, working with LGBT+, working with the inner child, anxiety and depression, relationships and mindfulness.
In addition, I have a recognised qualification in working with children and young people and particularly enjoy working with young people and teenagers, using a variety of ways to engage with them as talking therapies are not for everyone. I try to work with all clients in a way that is best for them to express themselves.
I have co-facilitated counselling courses including the first steps/introduction to counselling to delivering diploma counselling courses.
I have experience of working both long and short term with clients.
What you can expect in your first contact - phone call
The initial phone call will let us introduce ourselves and will give you the opportunity to find out a bit about me and whether my style of working fits with what you want from counselling. There is absolutely no pressure on us to meet following this initial meeting but if you then chose to engage with me we will arrange a mutually suitable time for us to meet, either remotely or face to face.
I will email you a counselling agreement which covers everything that you need to know with regard to our first meeting. Having this information upfront helps to make things less daunting.
The first session
As the contract will have already been sent out to you, you will have had an opportunity to read over it prior to our first meeting. We can address any questions that you may have at this first meeting. The contract can be adjusted if necessary at this first meeting and at any time throughout our work together.
This 1st session will be the start of your journey and you can start to explore what you would like to get from counselling, at your own pace.
Counselling generally takes place on the same day at the same time each week or fortnightly if preferred. I know not everyone is able to make the same time and day every week/fortnight so this can be flexible and I will be led by you. It is you who decided how frequently you would like to meet.
Counselling can be either face to face or accessed remotely.
Counselling can last a few sessions or many sessions and that again is very much led by you and what you need.
Qualifications held:
- Humanistic Diploma
- Counselling Children & Young People Diploma
- Systemic Family Therapy
- Psychodynamic counselling Certificate
- Solution focused counselling Certificate
- Introduction to CBT (Cognitive Behavioural)
- ACT therapy (Acceptance and Commitment)
- Coaching Certificate
- Play Therapy Certificate
- Psychology Degree
- Working with drugs and alcohol
- Working with anxiety and depression
- Registered Managers Award
- Eating Disorders Certificate
- Working with relationship issues
- LGBT+ certificate
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Because I have been providing services in counselling and psychotherapy for many years, I have gained lots of experience in working with a wide range of issues. If there is anything that you feel you would like to engage with me around but its not listed please do drop me an email and we can talk about it and see if what I can offer would suit your needs.
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer a free initial phone consultation, which will normally be anything from 10 -20 minutes, so that you can assess if I am the right counsellor for you and whether we can work together. After that the cost will be £50 per therapeutic hour.
For child and adolescent clients the cost will be £40 per 45 minutes or £50 for the therapeutic hour (whichever is best for the young person).
I have a limited number of spaces for those who are on low incomes or are in training and this would be £30 for 50 mins. Please enquire if you feel this may benefit you.
I may not always be able to answer the phone when you call but please leave a message if I am unable to answer, and I will call you back as soon as I am able to do so.
When I work
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I work from a summer house in the garden at my home address which is a peaceful, serene and secure environment.
I can also offer phone, video and/or email counselling as required.
Further information
Therapy can be short term or long term and you are in control of the pace and how many sessions that you would like to attend for.
It could be that you have a specific issue you would like to explore or that you are anxious, sad, angry, depressed or have lost your way in life.
I would like to invite you to contact me, to see if we can work together. Making first contact is the hardest part.
The beauty of the ability to work remotely is that it doesn't matter where you live. Get in touch if you feel I might be the right person to work alongside you.