About me
If you're reading this, chances are something has brought you to a difficult place. Maybe it's grief, maybe your family circumstances have changed and you're finding it hard to adjust, maybe stress has built up to a point where it feels too heavy to carry alone, or maybe you simply want to understand yourself a little better. You don't need to have the right words for it. You just need somewhere safe to say it.
I'm an integrative, person-centred counsellor working with adults over 18. People come to me for all sorts of reasons: bereavement, the impact of caring for someone with a life-limiting illness such as dementia, Alzheimer's or cancer, their own life-limiting diagnosis, relationship difficulties, addiction, life transitions, or simply wanting to make sense of where they are and what they need next.
My own path into this work came through personal experience of grief, and watching a close colleague receive exceptional care from her local hospice in the final stages of her life. Seeing what good, compassionate support could do for someone made me want to offer that to others.
Before training as a counsellor, I spent years in banking and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant, working across research and development, manufacturing and local government. This means I understand the pressures of demanding, high-stakes environments, whether that's a corporate setting with tight deadlines or the particular strains of public sector work, and how much they can take out of you if you don't look after your wellbeing alongside everything else.
I listen carefully. My aim is to properly understand what things look like from where you're standing, not to tell you what they should look like. My approach is gentle, especially around grief, though I'll ask the harder questions too when I think it will help you move forward. I want you to leave each session feeling a bit lighter than when you came in.
Sessions are shaped around what you need, not a fixed programme. Some weeks we might look at something you've been reflecting on since we last met, other weeks we'll follow whatever's come up that week. Around the midpoint of our work together, I'll check in with you about how things are going, to make sure we're still working towards what matters to you.
The first session is a chance for us to get to know each other and work out whether I'm the right fit for you. That matters to me. You should feel comfortable with the person you're talking to.
Outside of counselling, I'm a family person at heart. You'll usually find me walking my dog in the countryside or in the garden with a book, and I like challenging myself with long walks now and then, Snowdon and the Black Mountains among them. Friends would probably describe me as down to earth, caring, and someone who says it straight. Time outdoors matters a lot to me, and it's something I often bring into sessions where it feels right for the client too.
Training, qualifications & experience
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I'm a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and hold CPCAB Levels 2, 3 and 4. I'm currently studying towards my Level 5 qualification, an advanced level of training in counselling.
I have a particular interest in grief and attachment and have completed specialist trauma training with Dr Caroline Spring. I keep building on this through ongoing reading and professional development, including further study into dementia and Alzheimer's and the impact these have on both the person diagnosed and those caring for them.
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
£40.00 - £60.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer a free 15-to-30-minute initial consultation, so we can decide together whether we're a good fit to work with one another.
After that, my fees range from £40 to £60 per session, depending on your circumstances and whether sessions are booked as part of an agreed package.
I offer both short-term counselling, typically six to eight sessions, and longer-term, open-ended work, depending on what suits you.
Sessions are available online via Zoom, by telephone, in person, or as walk-and-talk therapy outdoors.
Further information
One book that has stayed with me is Bearing the Unbearable, which looks at the many different forms grief can take. If you're looking for a starting point to understand your own grief a little better, it's one I often recommend.
