About me
A warm, empathic and genuine person, I aim to create a safe, non-judgemental and supportive space where you can explore your thoughts, feelings and life experiences at a pace that is comfortable for you.
How counselling can help
People come for counselling for many different reasons. You might not feel yourself, or you may feel stuck, or perhaps you're overwhelmed by feelings, relationships, events or other aspects of your life. Sometimes, things just seem too much to deal with on our own. Whatever brings you, counselling can help by providing a secure and confidential space to talk through whatever is troubling you.
I listen with care, compassion and curiosity and together, we would reflect upon your thoughts and feelings to help find new perspectives and meaning when it comes to you and your world. I would hope that through our counselling relationship, you would gain insight into: how you relate with others, how your past is informing your present and how you feel about yourself. This understanding should help you to make positive choices and to feel stronger in yourself.
Having benefitted from personal therapy, I believe that when we know ourselves better, we can cultivate greater self-compassion. This space allows us to develop a stronger sense of self, greater resilience and hopefully, a better quality of life.
My approach
As I am a psychodynamic counsellor, I am curious about what makes you, you - your past experiences, current relationships, hopes, motivations and deeper feelings. I would listen closely to what you say and then we would reflect together; tuning into how you feel, talking through your thoughts and linking the past and the present. Past experiences and relationships are important, as they might be informing how you feel now and how you approach life and relationships. Although the way we manage our internal worlds and relate to others is largely laid down in our early years, with awareness and understanding we can make positive changes now and move forwards on a new path.
Through our collaborative reflection, my hope is that you would gain different perspectives and greater self-awareness and this would help you with your relationship with yourself and others. A lot of what we think and feel is unconscious and out of our awareness and my role is therefore also to sensitively help you to identify unconscious patterns that may be negatively impacting you and your relationships.
I also hope, that as trust between us grows, that you would feel safe to express difficult thoughts and feelings and could work through any emotional conflict or burdens you are carrying. Processing feelings that have been held in for a long time can bring great relief and a significant shift in mood and self-worth.
I am also aware of the impact that trauma, stress and anxiety has on our bodies and minds and would work with you on strategies that will help you to self-soothe and reset your nervous system.
Duration
Counselling is led by you, so you decide how long we work together. Sessions are weekly and I generally work in an open-ended way, which allows for a deeper and wider exploration of your issues. However, you may know what you would like to concentrate on and in this instance, we could work in a focussed, time-specific way. The approach will depend on what you would like to get from counselling.
I ask that all new clients review and sign a counselling agreement, which outlines all the terms of our work and what you can expect from me.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a qualified psychodynamic counsellor who is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and abides by their code of conduct and ethics. My core training is accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) and before establishing a private practice, I worked with Gloucestershire Counselling Service (GCS) for several years. At GCS, I gained experience of supporting clients from all walks of life, with a wide range of issues, including: relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, loss, loneliness, stress and anger.
Prior to training as a counsellor, I worked in Human Resources and Internal Communications.
- Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling (Gloucestershire Counselling Service)
- Time-limited Counselling (Gloucestershire Counselling Service)
- Certificate in Counselling Skills (Gloucestershire Counselling Service)
- BA (Hons) English Literature (The University of Sheffield)
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
£50.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Counselling is £50 for a 50-minute session (I may be able to offer a concessionary fee of £35 for those on low incomes).
Our first session would be an assessment session, which is also £50.
When I work
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Further information
As it is important that you find the right counsellor for you, I offer an initial free 20-minute phone conversation. This is an opportunity for us to talk about what you are looking for and to get a sense of how we might work together. This is also a chance for you to ask me any questions about counselling and how I work. Please email me to arrange a time that is mutually convenient.
I hope this information is helpful and that you find the counselling you need.
