About me
I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) my work adheres to their ethical guidelines. and offered within safe clinical boundaries.
I work with both adults and children and seek to offer a safe and warm space to explore and process in the client's own time.
I start the therapeutic relationship by offering an assessment to understand what the client is hoping to get from therapy. I take a pluralistic approach in that the work is led by the client.
I offer counselling for young people aged 12 and over, and seek parental consent and I am experienced in working with children in schools and in person and online. I have experience of managing and supervising in different therapeutic services for children and young people for over 15 years.
I also have a particular interest in self harm and my Masters thesis was understanding therapists experiences on working with young people who self harm
I am also happy to meet parents and carers during the initial assessment. Parents or carers may attend the initial session. Subsequent sessions are usually with the young person alone and remain confidential unless a safeguarding issue should arise.
I offer both trauma informed and trauma focussed therapy - Trauma focussed work may be helpful for people who have experienced or witnessed specific traumatic events. I have significant experience of working with children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse and complex and traumatic bereavement. I am also experienced in working with Domestic abuse. I work in a way that utilises these competencies The three-phase model of trauma recovery, often based on Judith Herman's work, These phases are: Safety and Stabilisation, Remembrance and Trauma Processing, and Reconnection and Integration. This model emphasises that trauma recovery is not a aways a linear process and that clients may need to come back to these phases throughout the work. Trauma work starts with acknowledging and normalising how the brain and nervous system work
I am a Clinical Supervisor and am experienced in supervising therapists who work with children, young people and adults.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Role: Deputy Manager, Schools Counselling Service (2020-2024)
- Role: School and Parent Therapist (Leeds Schools Counselling Service, formerly TAMHS)
- Role: Sessional Therapist (Psychotherapy)) Employer: Family Action September 2018-2020
Key responsibilities: Counselling and therapeutic recovery work to Children and young people who have been sexually abused, aged 5-17, using play therapy techniques, creative and expressive therapy, trauma focused CBT and Emotional freedom technique. Fully therapeutic needs and risk assessments. Psycho-social, educative and therapeutic work with parents/carers. Consultancy to professionals. Multidisciplinary working and involvement in team around the child (CP, CIN and CAF.) Supervision and line management of Specialist project workers.
- Employer: Northpoint Wellbeing March 2015-2020
Key Responsibilities: Delivery of one-to-one short- and longer term therapeutic interventions to children, young people and adults in primary and secondary schools referred via schools or Mindmate Spa.
Psycho-social, educative and therapeutic work with parents/carers. Parent and child review and ending interventions.Conducting therapeutic family assessments. Consultancy to professionals who work with children and young adults. Multidisciplinary working with cluster team school staff and other professionals. Devising and delivering therapeutic groups.
- Role: Specialist Project Worker (Counsellor) Employer: Family Action September 2012-2015
Key responsibilities: Counselling and therapeutic recovery work to Children and young people who have been sexually abused, aged 5-17, using play therapy techniques, creative and expressive therapy, trauma focused CBT and Emotional freedom technique. Fully therapeutic needs and risk assessments. Psycho-social, educative and therapeutic work with parents/carers. Consultancy to professionals. Multidisciplinary working and involvement in team around the child (CP, CIN and CAF.) Supervision and line management of Specialist project workers.
- Role: Training Manager. Employer: Family Action September 2013-March 2015
Key Responsibilities: Managing the training department at Family ActionBradford, delivering packages of commissioned training around working with trauma, attachment and loss. Line management and clinical supervision of trainers. Writing training packages. Delivery of training to social work and health professionals, fostering and adoption professionals.
- Role: Sessional Counsellor Employer: Marie Stopes International, Leeds September 2011-2013
Key Responsibilities: Clients aged 12 and over. Offering pre and post abortion and vasectomy counselling, Targeted work with young/vulnerable clients and those at risk of CSE.
- Role: Counsellor Employer: place2be March 2011- September 2012
Key Responsibilities: Counselling children aged 4-11 in a school setting, using non-directive play therapy techniques. One-one counselling, usually, weekly sessions for one school year Liaising with Multi-agencies and school staff including teachers learning support workers and SENCO.
- Role: Counsellor Employer: Bradford Bereavement Services April 2010- December 2010
Offering counselling within a variety of settings, including, a specialist elderly residential setting and a male only shelter working with vulnerable clients with dual diagnosis of mental health difficulties and substance abuse and offender history.
- Role: Counsellor Employer: Mosaic II, Bradford May 2009-March 2011
Key Responsibilities: Counselling Survivor’s and the families of survivors of sexual abuse, age 14 years and over. One-to-one counselling, open-ending, six-weekly reviews
- Role: Bereavement Support Volunteer Employer: Cruse Bereavement Services,Jan 2008- October 2011
Key Responsibilities:Offering counselling within a variety of settings, including schools, family centres, residential homes and within the clients home. Sudden and traumatic death focused work
Education & Qualifications
- MSc Psychology (2021)
- Post Graduate Certificate in Counselling Supervision York St. John University (2015)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Person Centred Counselling and Human Relations Leeds Metropolitan University (2010)
- OCNW level 2 certificate Counselling skills (Cruse Bereavement Care 2008)
- BA (Hons) 2:1 Sociology and Dance Studies, Roehampton University (1996)
- Facilitators qualification in therapeutic group facilitation (2008)
- Emotional Freedom Technique (practitioner) AAMET Emotional freedom (2013)
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
Additional information
I can offer a discount for trainee counselling students.
