About me
Hello you. Look at you, taking this first step. Well done for getting this far, and to my page.
Life can have it's 'suddenlys'. The things we never saw coming. And then the slow burners - things that have been bubbling under the surface for months or years. Sometimes we cope, keep going, holding it all together, and other times .we wobble, and that's ok. Whether it's a 'suddenly' or something you've been carrying a long time, you don't have to figure it all out alone. Let's talk.
I know it takes courage to reach out for counselling, I've been there too. Life can throw us many curve balls and although we may turn to friends and family for support, sometimes it's someone completely outside of our situation that can help, with a non judgemental, empathic approach, in a safe environment that enables us to work through our issues.
I believe there is always hope, without hope we can feel hopeless. John Lennon once said, 'Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end.' This is where counselling can be the right place for us at a time in our lives when hope may feel a little lost. Look at counselling as a crutch, helping us through difficult times, a space to lean on when life gets tough..
It could be that no one is even aware of how you are feeling, emotions and feelings bottled up, needing to be heard. Fears, depression, anxieties, avoidance, painful memories, over bearing loss, low self esteem, relationships, many different reasons, hard to cope with alone.
I have been working in my private practice for 11 years and have created a warm and safe space for you. I have detailed below just some of my experience as a counsellor to give you an idea of my therapy work.
Being female
What an honour to be the female of the species! Being a woman is a gift, but doesn't come without it's struggles. I work with many wonderful girls and women, going through the many stages of life. Some of the issues that we can face are low self esteem, low self confidence, self loathing, anxiety, relationships, being mum, difficult parent/child relationships, divorce and separation, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, abuse in many forms, and then in midlife ... the big M, menopause. Our second spring, but bringing with it highs and lows. This can be a very difficult and challenging time, hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog to name but a few. Finding out who we really are and embracing this time can be truly empowering. So ladies, it's looking at your purpose, values and taking back ownership of who you fabulously are!
'The changes, the highs and lows, and the hormonal shifts, there is power in that.' Michelle Obama
Children and Young people
In this fast paced world, life can sometimes feel overwhelming. We can find out almost anything from our devices, social media gives 24 hour access to friends or people we follow, so it's little wonder that the world around us can feel all consuming.
Primary School - Little people. Big feelings. Real stuff.
Growing up can be a bit of a rollercoaster. One minute you're ok, the next everything feels too much. School, friendships, family, worries you can't quite put into words... it all counts. You don't need to know where to start.That's ok. That's where I come in. Together we'll find a way to make sense of what's going on, at your pace and in a way that feels right for you. Talking, creating, exploring feelings or just some space to breathe.
Because every child deserves to feel listened to, understood and enough. Just as they are. When little people are struggling, it can be big for everyone.
Secondary and Sixth form - Hello you. Yep, you.
Being a teenager can be complicated. School pressure, friendship dramas, family stuff, anxiety, expectations, figuring out who you are... and sometimes, you just feel 'blah' and haven't got a clue why.
Maybe you're overthinking everything. Maybe you're feeling angry, overwhelmed, misunderstood or not quite yourself. Or perhaps everyone thinks you're fine, but inside, things feel a little different.
You don't need to have the answers. You don't even need to know where to start. My counselling space is somewhere you can turn up exactly as you are. No judgement, no pressure, no need to pretend. We can talk, untangle the messy stuff and make sense of what's going on at your pace.
You matter. Your feelings matter. And you don't have to figure everything out alone.
I have worked with young people in Primary, Secondary and Sixth form in schools and in private practice, so I do understand these really important transitional years. Being young, the best years of our lives apparently! Not always so, but working through our issues can really help.
'Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come' Zig Ziglar.
Loss
Our late Queen once famously quoted, 'Grief is the price we pay for love.' This really resonated with me. The loss of someone we love can be one of the hardest things to go through, although it is often finding a new way of living, different, but still encompassing all that our loved one meant to us to truly move forward. I worked as a bereavement counsellor in a Hospice for 2 years and worked through grief and loss with many wonderful people, not only the effects of the loss, but other issues that came forward in their process.
Loss doesn't always mean the loss of someone close through death. Loss can take many forms, the loss of a relationship, loss of a friendship, loss of a career, loss of a home.. there are many losses we experience through life, and working through them could help come to terms with it.
Abuse
' 'I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to become.' Carl Jung
Abuse takes many forms, sexual abuse, recent or historic, domestic abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and the effects of abuse can have a huge impact in our lives, affecting the way we are in relationships and our daily living. Maybe keeping the abuse from others through fear of what they may say or ashamed to let anyone know it exists or existed. I work with survivors of abuse and have much experience in this area.
Getting started
If you would like to contact me, please call or e-mail. We can then have an initial chat about what it is you would like to get from counselling and if happy to do so, will arrange your initial session. If you are happy to continue, we can then arrange further sessions.
Finally to say, and important for you to know, I am a registered member of the BACP, I am fully insured and have an enhanced DBS clearance.
My practice is a couple of miles from Uckfield, tucked away in rural surroundings with plenty of parking. A safe place to be heard, surrounded by the peace of the countryside.
Training, qualifications & experience
BACP Accredited Foundation Degree in Person Centred Counselling.
Courses and training in the following:
Loss and bereavement
Childhood sexual abuse
Domestic abuse
Gambling
Creative therapy
Anger
Grooming
Sexual violence
Alcohol addiction
Suicide
Confidence coaching for women
Menopause Awareness
Stress & Anxiety management
Life Coaching
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
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer a 20 minute call prior to any sessions so you can have an idea of me and how I work, then you can decide if I am the right counsellor for you.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
