About me
I am an Integrative Psychotherapist with over 20 years' experience of working with children, adolescents and adults.
I offer regular therapy sessions to both adults and young people suffering from a range of challenges, including general stress and anxiety, social anxiety, depression, compulsive and obsessive behaviours, difficulty in focussing or concentrating and many other challenges that come with being human and living in the 21st century.
You may want to bring very specific challenges such as gender dysphoria or sleep problems, or you may not really know what is troubling you but just feel unable to cope well with daily life.
My aim is to meet you warmly and empathically where you are and hope that we can build trust and that I can support you in moving forward more easily with your life.
'Integrative' means that I didn't train in just one type of therapy, but many, and I use a fusion of whatever seems to suit the particular client at that particular time and life stage.
I am used to working with young people with a wide range of diagnoses, or potential diagnoses, including ADHD and ADD. The children and adolescents I see may be school refusing, struggling
The other major part of my work is offering parenting consultation to parents and carers, supporting them in supporting their young people. Often this is instead of seeing young people if the young people dont want to come or if we work out that sessions for the parents/carers will be just as effective or if there is a limited budget that would not cover sessions for the young person.
With younger children in particular, I can also offer sessions for a parent and child together and sessions to help parents bond and play with their baby/toddler.
Training, qualifications & experience
After my original degree led to a first career in publishing, I took an MA training to become an Integrative Psychotherapist. The Integrative nature of my training means that I don't offer one modality of therapy to clients, such as CBT or humanistic counselling or psychodynamic psychotherapy but a mix of all these things. I tailor my approach to the age, personality and needs of the individual.
Adults often want to talk, though we can also use the arts if talking doesn't come easily.
The main approach with children is often through play and the arts.
Parents sometimes tell me that their teenager won't want to talk. This is ok as I can initially do the talking and perhaps put into words what I think an adolescent is feeling in a way that will make them feel understood and we usually find ways of communicating.
I am used to working with young people with a wide range of diagnoses including ADD and ADHD.
I have worked for over 20 years in a wide range of settings including the NHS, schools and private practice.
Member organisations
school 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.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
£80.00 - £120.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I charge £100.00 for regular 50 minute face-to-face sessions with a child or adult and £120.00-£140.00 for a parent consultation, depending on the length.
I charge £85.00 for online therapy sessions with adults or older adolescents.
Further information
While I originally trained to work with children and adolescents, I now also work therapeutically with adults. I have more than 20 years of experience in a wide range of settings.
I find that my understanding of children and how the brain forms early in life, helps me to understand the issues affecting adults and I aim to help them understand these things in themselves.
My work with parents has often moved into therapeutic realms and parents often want to understand more about what affects their relationships with their children and what has brought them to parent in the ways they do. The work also often moves into the area of couple counselling when I work with two parents together so I now work in all these areas.
