About me
It is natural that everyone will experience times when they feel sad, angry or anxious. These are normal reactions to life events such as relationship breakdown, bereavement or at times of extreme pressure.
However, if negative feelings and emotions begin to dominate your life and you feel unable to function normally at home or work, then it may be the right time to consider seeking the help of a counsellor.
Counselling may also be useful if you are facing a potentially life-changing decision, experiencing relationship or family problems or simply feel stuck in a rut.
It is not always easy to open up fully to family, friends or work colleagues for fear of damaging relationships or compromising your career.
Counselling gives you the chance to talk about your life in a calm, unbiased and highly confidential space. I am professionally trained to help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviour openly without fear of being judged, looking at new angles and gaining new perspectives.
Counselling can be a difficult process as it can feel uncomfortable to talk about feelings and emotions, explore relationships or recognise repeated patterns of behaviour. However, by examining every piece of the jigsaw that makes up your life, the process may help you to cope with your problems and find a way to move forward.
There is increasing recognition that there is no stigma attached to seeking the help of an independent, professional third party, who can help someone work through problems and manage any difficulties they may be facing. Many high profile figures in the corporate world and the public eye are openly admitting to seeking therapy and recognising the benefits.
I also offer Couples Counselling:
Couples MOT - this can benefit any couple to help keep the relationship on track, improve communication and iron out any difficulties before they become significant.
Couples SOS - if your relationship has become fraught with tension and unhappiness, there has been infidelity or you seem to go round and round in circles arguing about the same issues over and over again.
Separating with Dignity: If the relationship can't ultimately be saved then I can help you negotiate a way forward with calmness, clarity and respect, vital if children are involved.
See my website www.personalresilience.co.uk and click on 'Relationships' for more details.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have a Diploma in Counselling and BA(Hons). I am a Registered and Accredited Member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). I am a media spokesperson for BACP.
I am covered by BUPA health insurance (dependent on individual policy).
I have worked as a counsellor in the Occupational Health department of a major teaching hospital and was a founding member of the in-house couselling team at Healhwork Ltd. I currently work in private practice in Altrincham and Wilmslow. I am also an affiliate counsellor for Health Assured EAP.
I have a particular interest in working with couples to help improve their relationship.
I have trained as an Integrative Counsellor, which means I use a variety of techniques in my counselling practice. These include psychodynamic therapy, solution-focussed therapy,goal-setting, gentle challenge, cognitive behavioural therapy and relaxation exercises. I also focus on helping clients understand the neuroscience behind anxiety and depression.
I also offer stress management techniques to groups or individuals. We live in a twenty-four hour world in which increasing developments in technology mean it is getting ever harder for people to truly 'switch off'. This can lead to acute levels of stress and I can teach you how to manage this and regain some balance in your life.
Member organisations
Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership

Accredited Register Scheme
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
Fees
I offer a one hour introductory session at a cost of £50. This gives us the opportunity to see if we develop the rapport vital for successful therapy, and for you to decide if you think further sessions of counselling would be of benefit .Each subsequent one hour session costs £50 or £280 for a block of six sessions.
The cost of a session for a couple is £75 per hour. Couples sessions are often an hour and a half.