About me
I know that taking the first step towards counselling can sometimes feel daunting. You may be going through a difficult period, facing change or uncertainty, or simply have a sense that something in your life is no longer working as you would like it to.
I offer a warm, confidential and non-judgemental space where we can explore what is happening for you and begin to understand it together.
I am an integrative counsellor, which means I don't believe that one approach suits everyone. My work is primarily relational and informed by person-centred, psychodynamic and attachment-based approaches, while drawing on other approaches where they may be helpful.
I work with adults experiencing anxiety, low self-esteem, low confidence, addictions, relationship difficulties, family issues, grief and loss, work-related stress, life transitions, redundancy, questions of identity and purpose, spirituality, and feeling stuck or uncertain about the way forward.
My approach is compassionate but also active. Counselling can involve understanding how earlier experiences and relationships may still influence us today, but I believe it can also help us discover new possibilities for how we want to live now.
Whether you are struggling with anxiety, relationship difficulties, low self-worth, major life changes, or simply a growing sense that something needs to change, I aim to provide a safe, thoughtful and collaborative space where lasting change can begin.
I offer counselling online, allowing us to work together from wherever you feel comfortable and private. I also offer a free initial 30-minute conversation so that we can meet, talk about what brings you to counselling and decide whether working together feels right.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a qualified integrative therapeutic counsellor and a registered member of both the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the Association of Christian Counsellors (ACC).
My qualifications and professional development include:
- Level 5 Diploma in Integrative Therapeutic Counselling
- Currently completing a BA (Hons) in Counselling at Waverley Abbey College, validated by Middlesex University
- EMCC-accredited coach
- More than 450 hours of counselling experience
- Ongoing clinical supervision and continuing professional development
My integrative training enables me to draw principally on person-centred, psychodynamic and attachment-based approaches, while incorporating other therapeutic perspectives according to the individual needs of the person I am working with.
Before becoming a counsellor, I spent nearly 50 years working in the entertainment and creative industries, including performing, producing, managing people, and building and running businesses. That experience has given me a particular understanding of career change, uncertainty, creativity, performance pressure, relationships, success, failure and the need to reinvent ourselves at different stages of life.
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.
The Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC) is a Christian professional membership organisation for those involved in counselling/psychotherapy and linked professions, i.e. pastoral care, coaching and spiritual direction, in the UK. The organisation is made up of various different membership categories, including Counsellor and Accredited, and requires all members working as counsellors to undertake Continuous Professional Development on a regular basis.
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
Life transitions and change; identity and sense of purpose; midlife and later-life transitions; career change and reinvention; creative and performing professionals; confidence and personal development.
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Additional information
Individual counselling sessions are £60 for 50 minutes.
I offer a free initial 30-minute conversation, giving you an opportunity to tell me a little about what brings you to counselling, ask any questions you may have, and get a sense of whether working together feels right for you.
Sessions are currently offered online via Zoom.
Further information
I came to counselling later in life, following a long and varied career outside the therapeutic world. I believe this contributes something valuable to the way I work.
Life rarely follows a neat path. Careers change, relationships change, circumstances change and sometimes we change while the life around us does not. There can be times when the direction that once made sense no longer does.
I have a particular interest in working with people experiencing transition, questions of identity and purpose, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem and confidence, and those who feel they have reached a point where something needs to change.
Although I am trained as both a counsellor and coach, counselling sessions remain counselling. My coaching experience can inform my ability to recognise strengths, possibilities and future direction, but the therapeutic relationship and your needs remain at the centre of our work.
You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what is wrong or what you want to change. Sometimes finding the words for what is happening is where the work begins.
