About me
My main priority as a therapist is to help anyone who walks through my door is to help them feel safe and leave hopefully feeling a wee bit better than when they came. I specialise in complex trauma, anxiety presentations and long term mood difficulties . I can offer you safeness in a comfortable environment with no pressure or expectations placed on you. Walking through that door is one of the hardest things we can do and it takes courage.
About me
I have been qualified as a psychotherapist for the last 24 years. I was employed by the NHS as CBT therapist for 15 of those years. I have worked consistently over that period of time delivering somewhere in the region of 16 - 17,000 hours of therapy. I also work on a contract basis for the Priory hospital.
How therapy works
I wonder if you've ever felt something just isn't right but you can't really say what it is or why it's happening but you just know "in your gut"? Do you find sometimes people ask what's wrong but you can't convey in words what it is - even to the folk who you care about and love? Sometimes the absence of any feeling is frightening. A lot of folk who came to see me often don't know what they want exactly from therapy. This kind of makes sense when you think about it because if you don't really know or fully understand what is going on never mind be able to verbalise it, then how can you know or say what you want from this? I would ask you not to worry about this as it will emerge as we talk.
Consider things you have struggled with in your life. How did you feel about those things when you maybe had time or felt safe enough to sit with them? You see when our bodies feel in a terribly unsafe state we struggle to tell our story in a way that makes sense. The story or narrative or thoughts (whatever we want to call them) follows our state - if our nervous system is in a near constant state of threat then the story of our everyday life is one of near constant threat.
What to expect
I am always more than happy to offer a short consultation by telephone, video or face to face if you can make it or even drop me an e-mail or text even before booking a session. This gives you the chance to see if I would be a fit for you. I tend to think of it like you interviewing me for an important job and you want to get the right person. If you want to arrange an appointment after this then we can arrange a day and time that fits around your life. The first session is getting an idea of what is difficult for you and how together we might begin to help you.
My approach
Although trained as a CBT therapist I draw upon different schools of therapy to find the best way helping people. Being able to draw on different ways of working means we can find a way that best helps you. I don't provide a one size fits all approach.
Training, qualifications & experience
COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills (1 year)
- COSCA Validated Diploma in CBT (2 years)
- 1 year Certificate in Clinical Skills (1 year)
- HNC in Learning & Development (1 year)
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
- ASSIST trained
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.
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
I am interested in working with complex trauma and how to begin to recover from this and begin to feel safe in a world that has been previously filled with threat. I use a polyvagal and somatically informed way of working.
Since my own recent diagnosis of ADHD I am interested in how I can make navigating the world a little easier for folk experiencing the difficulties associated with ADHD.
I have an interest in how social media negatively affects and erodes our sense of self, specifically in the area of fitness and body image.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My fees are £60.00 per hour.
I am happy to negotiate my fees for students in full time education and people on lower income.
I offer face to face, Zoom and telephone sessions.
When I work
I offer flexible hours to suit people's specific needs.
Further information
A little bit of background about me
I have worked in many different settings in both voluntary and public sector. I was recently at the age of 56 diagnosed with ADHD. Which came as no great surprise! Anyway this has allowed me to fully accept and work on ways to make my life a bit easier and to realise it's more of wiring than a personal character flaw! It is too easy these days to minimise or "palm" it off as and "excuse" or to say "everybody has got it these days" that's a critical voice and most often an inaccurate voice.
What I value most
I value being listened to so I always do my best to listen. I have valued others taking time to understand me so I always try my best to understand other people. Throughout my life I have valued people being kind to me so I always try to be compassionate in return. I value people being honest with me so in turn I always be honest with others. I value what I offer.
What to do next
Please feel free to give me a call, text or e-mail to find out more about what I do and if you think it is something that can help and you feel comfortable with then we can arrange an appointment that best suits you. Check out my training and experience as it tells you a little bit about my areas of special interest.
