About me
I am a qualified and experienced counsellor and CBT therapist working with adults and with young people aged 14 and above. I offer face to face sessions in Amersham, and online and phone sessions wherever you are based. I qualified over 10 years ago and have worked in the NHS, schools, organisations, charities, and in private practice.
My core way of working and my initial training is ‘person centred’, meaning I work alongside you with respect and empathy; I know you are the expert in yourself and your own experience. My approach is relational, making a safe and trustworthy connection together, which increases confidence and is the catalyst for change.
I have a postgraduate diploma in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which offers a structured approach; a framework for understanding how our experience, thoughts, feelings and behaviour interact and strategies and techniques for making changes. CBT can be particularly effective for anxiety, generalised anxiety and anxiety-based problems such as panic attacks, phobias, procrastination, compulsions, avoiding social situations and problems managing stress.
As a person I am warm, empathic, gentle and easy to talk to. I value and welcome all people, of any race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender or neurodiversity and strive to be accessible to all, making any possible physical or other adjustments you might need. I believe we are all doing our best in the life and circumstances we are in; I won't judge you or anyone around you. Integrity is important to me, and I give utmost care to my duty of confidentiality and working safely and ethically. I am a member of the BACP and abide by their ethical framework.
For adults I offer both open counselling and structured cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It doesn’t matter if you don’t know which would suit you, we can talk together to decide the most helpful approach for you right now.
For young people aged 14 and above I work in an integrated way, bringing all my training and experience to decide, with you, what is most appropriate and helpful. I have specific qualifications and experience in working with young people including more than six years working as a school counsellor and working with children and families in the NHS.
I am passionate about the benefits of movement outdoors and offer bespoke running therapy for adults. I am a certified running coach and have experience coaching in the commercial world where I have worked at a senior level, most recently as a head of people.
How to get started
I suggest we have a phone conversation initially to explore if we might be a good fit together, chat about which way of working you are drawn to and so that you can ask me questions. There is no obligation or charge for this, and I will be welcoming, warm and accepting. I am interested to help you find the right support and fully recognise that might not be me. In this case I would do my best to signpost you onto more relevant help.
If you are looking on behalf of a young person, I know you want to be sure you can trust in me and might want to make the first contact to establish this. In this case I like to have a chat with you and then with your young person if possible, and I am very happy to offer two initial calls.
You can book a call using the green button at the top of this page, or you can text or email me or simply pick up the phone. If I can’t answer immediately, please leave me your name and number and I will call you right back.
· I offer face to face sessions at St Mary’s Court in Old Amersham during the working day Tuesday – Thursday and with a late night on Tuesday.
· Online and phone sessions are available Tuesday – Thursday between 8am and 7pm.
More about the services I offer
Counselling for adults to explore what’s going on for you, giving space to support you through transitions or changes, problems or challenges. The work goes at your pace, paying attention to anything you want to bring and might be short or longer-term. My main areas of interest and expertise are
Life transitions, particularly the anxiety, confusion and unease that can accompany them; navigating transition into university, work or parenthood; relocation, particularly internationally; mid-life and older age.
Bereavement and other loss including when life suddenly changes through redundancy, illness, accident or circumstance.
The challenge of finding a way and a place to grow at work without burnout.
I review the work with you regularly, at least on a four-weekly cycle, to look at how we are working together, and if the sessions are meeting your needs.
Structured CBT for adults with a specific target such as learning to cope with or navigate or overcome problems like (but not limited to) work stress, social anxiety, panic attacks, avoidance, perfectionism, low mood, or low self-esteem. Research supports the effectiveness of CBT, particularly for anxiety, showing that it leads to significant and lasting reductions in symptoms. It usually takes 8 – 12 weeks with regular reviews to make sure the sessions are meeting your needs. Sessions are structured, there are exercises and experiments to complete between sessions, with a focus on learning and trying new skills and techniques to help you make the changes you seek.
Integrated counselling and therapy for young people.Working holistically, I pay attention to strengths as well as problems, always with respect and empathy and at your pace. My aim is to help you understand more about yourself and your situation and to develop the confidence and ability to navigate through. I am particularly experienced and interested in helping young people manage the effects of anxiety including social anxiety, perfectionism, exam and academic stress, procrastination, generalised anxiety, panic attacks and emerging phobias. I use a CBT framework, explaining and teaching about the unhelpful cycles we can get into, and how we can learn to break them. Practising new skills and experimenting with different ways of seeing things is usually part of the work. This kind of learning and development is not only effective in the short term but can have lifelong benefits.
Bespoke running therapy for adults. I am passionate about the benefits of movement outdoors and I am a licensed UK athletics coach. I offer personally tailored running therapy for adults. Physical exercise is proven to help decrease anxiety and boost mood. Talking whilst moving in the outdoors can help us open up and can bring new awareness. This might be a great way to benefit from the therapeutic nature of movement in the outdoors if you are already a runner, or to get you started or re started on a great running habit. All running therapy begins with an initial face to face talking session to tailor the programme. We might start with walking; building a nourishing outdoor exercise habit is the focus rather than speed or athletic prowess. I am a passionate slow runner; I love the people at the back of the pack and salute all sizes and types of runners.
Training, qualifications & experience
Experience
In addition to helping a range of clients in private practice I have worked in the NHS as a clinical supervisor for a team of mental health practitioners, holding clinical responsibility for their work and for training, managing and supporting them, plus holding a caseload. I have been a school counsellor in a local grammar school and schools in London, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire and was recruited to be a counsellor and assessor in a large trial into the effectiveness of counselling in schools, run by a group of London universities. I volunteered for Cruse for 8 years, supporting adult clients following bereavement, and as a clinical supervisor for other volunteers. I have lectured in counselling at Amersham and Wycombe College.
My background is in leadership in commercial organisations, including coaching, training and supporting teams and individuals, most recently as a Head of People in a digital transformation agency.
Qualifications
- BA (Hons) Psychology, University of Nottingham
- Diploma in Applied Psychology, University of Nottingham
- Diploma in Therapeutic counselling, Amersham and Wycombe College
- MBACP (Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
- Diploma in School and Adolescent Counselling, Metanoia Institute
- Postgraduate Diploma in IAPT (CBT) Therapy, Kings College, London
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Oxford Mindfulness Centre and Kings College, London
- Awards in both 'Cruse Bereavement Care Supervision' and 'Awareness in Bereavement Care', Cruse
- UK Athletics certified running coach
- DBS checked
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£65.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions are £65
A limited number sessions are available at a reduced rate; please ask.
When I work
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I offer face to face sessions in Amersham during the working day Tuesday – Thursday with a late night on Tuesday.
Online and phone sessions available Tuesday – Thursday between 8am and 7pm.
