About me
Life can look fairly normal from the outside while feeling much harder underneath. You may be managing work, relationships and everyday responsibilities, but privately feel anxious, overwhelmed, stuck in your own head or increasingly disconnected from yourself.
Perhaps something has happened that you are struggling to make sense of. You may keep finding yourself in the same situations or relationship patterns despite your efforts to change them. Sometimes there is no clear explanation. You simply know that something does not feel right.
You do not need a diagnosis, a crisis or a carefully defined problem to begin therapy.
I work with adults experiencing anxiety, chronic stress & burnout, trauma, emotional overwhelm, addiction and relationship difficulties. I also work with questions around identity and meaning, including experiences connected with being autistic or having ADHD.
I am a person-centred and relational therapist. This means I will not arrive with a fixed explanation of who you are or give you a programme to follow. We begin with your experience and develop an understanding together.
This does not mean I will sit back and simply repeat your words. I listen closely, ask questions and pay attention to patterns, tensions or contradictions that may be worth exploring. I may offer an observation or respectfully challenge you, but I will not assume that my understanding of your life is more accurate than your own.
I hold an FdSc and a first-class BSc (Hons) in Person-Centred Counselling. I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. I have worked as a therapist for more than ten years and completed over 5,000 hours of client work. My further studies have included Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, trauma and the body, and working with autism and ADHD.
What you can expect from me
There is nothing you need to prepare before a session. You can arrive knowing exactly what you want to discuss, or without having any idea where to begin. Both are completely fine.
Some sessions may focus on what has happened during your week. Others may move towards earlier experiences, relationships or feelings that are harder to put into words. We may notice how you speak about something, what happens in your body or what seems difficult to say. The direction of the therapy develops through what becomes important rather than being decided for you in advance.
You can expect me to be warm, interested and straightforward. I take the work seriously, but that does not mean every session needs to feel solemn. There can be room for humour as well as sadness, uncertainty, frustration and silence.
There is no right way to be a client. You do not need to communicate perfectly, make progress at a particular speed or agree with everything I say. If I misunderstand you, you can tell me. If something does not feel helpful, we can talk about it. What happens in the relationship between us can become an important part of the work.
What you share will be treated with care and kept confidential within the usual professional and legal limits, which I will explain when we begin.
Finding the right therapist matters. Qualifications and experience are important, but they cannot tell you exactly what it will feel like to sit with someone. The first session gives us an opportunity to begin the work while also getting a sense of whether there is enough trust and connection for a useful relationship to develop.
I offer this initial session at half my usual fee. It is a full therapeutic session, but there is no obligation to continue afterwards.
If you think we might work well together, you are welcome to contact me. You do not need to explain everything in your first message. You can simply let me know that you are considering therapy and ask any questions you may have and we can take it from there.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have worked as a counsellor and psychotherapist for more than ten years and completed over 5,000 hours of client work. My core training is person-centred, with further study broadening my understanding of trauma, the body, relational processes and neurodivergence.
My professional registrations are:
Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP)
Registered Member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society
My main qualifications are:
BSc (Hons) in Person-Centred Counselling, First Class
FdSc in Person-Centred Counselling, Merit
I remain committed to continued professional development. My further study has included Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, polyvagal theory, trauma and the body, working with autism and ADHD, anxiety, depression, addiction, dual diagnosis, motivational interviewing and relational depth.
My particular areas of interest are anxiety, complex trauma, and self-understanding and personal growth. However, I have worked with people bringing a wide range of experiences and concerns. Remaining person-centred means that I do not reduce someone to a diagnosis or assume that everyone experiencing a similar difficulty will need the same kind of therapy.
A shared label does not mean a shared experience, so the work begins with understanding you as a person.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
My particular interests also include:
- complex and developmental trauma, including emotional neglect
- high sensitivity, emotional intensity and overwhelm
- deepening self-understanding and personal growth
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Additional information
- £30 for an introductory session
- £60 per 50 minute session
- £90 per 80 minute session
Further information
My practice is around two minutes’ walk from Eastbourne train station and nearby bus stops. Paid parking is available at the station and Enterprise Centre, with some free parking a short walk away.
I usually respond to enquiries within two working days.
