About me
I am a qualified child and adolescent psychotherapist specialising in work with young people aged 11-25, as well as their parents. In my private practice, I see clients face-to-face at HQ Therapy Rooms (1 minute walk from Highbury & Islington station) and I also offer online sessions.
Among the many themes that come up in my work with young people are parental divorce or separation, bullying, self-harm and suicidal ideation, friendship and relationship issues, social isolation, sexuality, identity, race, abuse, loss of motivation, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and neurodiversity.
Major transitions such as moving house, changing school, starting/leaving university or making decisions about the future can also be unexpectedly fraught. The drama of adolescence (which continues well into the twenties) and its impact on parents, siblings and the wider family, is often overlooked or misunderstood. Probably because it can be complicated, painful and hard to think about.
I listen with care and attention so that you feel heard and understood. Therapy is successful when it is built on a trusting, non-judgemental therapeutic relationship, and collaboration is at the heart of my approach. My role is bring my open mind and expertise to the issues at hand, so that you feel safe. Then can we begin to untangle what is going on.
I work psychodynamically which means we think about past experiences and relationships and how they interact with current difficulties. Goals might include reducing anxiety and problematic behaviours, or other symptoms of psychological distress, as well as exploring who you are and how you wish to meet the demands of the external world.
Training, qualifications & experience
My 5-year training began with the MA/PGDip in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, followed by the MSc in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Children & Adolescents at Birkbeck, University of London.
I am a member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and abide by their code of ethics.
I have several years’ experience as a therapist in the third sector. I worked with the Hackney-based charity ASpace for two years at a secondary school and a 6th form college, and I am currently employed by the Brent Centre for Young People (BCYP) as a psychotherapist in two schools in North West London. The BCYP also supports our on-going development through weekly clinical meetings and group supervisions. We work closely with CAMHS, GPs, schools and pastoral managers and I have a strong understanding of the UK's educational and mental health landscapes.
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
£80.00 per session
Additional information
I invoice at the end of the month and accept payment by bank transfer.
Further information
Before qualifying as a child & adolescent psychotherapist, I was an arts writer for over 20 years. My speciality was the international contemporary art world, I have travelled extensively and speak good French. I brought up three children, now in their early twenties, in London, single-handedly for the last 15 years. This life has provided me with invaluable insights into complex cultural demographics, the idiosyncrasies of the UK education system from nursery to uni and beyond, tricky family dynamics and single parenthood. My empathy and understand mean that I am very well placed for parent work.
