About me
Maybe you don't need to be stronger. Maybe you need somewhere you don't have to be strong at all.
There are experiences that don't simply happen to us they can change us. Grief can alter who we believe we are. Trauma can change the way we see ourselves and other people. Addiction can become a way of surviving things we don't know how to face. Relationships can leave us questioning our worth. And sometimes, after years of coping, caring for others and carrying on, we reach a point where we simply don't know how to keep doing it.
This is where therapy can begin.
I'm Zoe, a Level 7 qualified Psychotherapeutic Practitioner and Counsellor, offering a confidential, compassionate and genuinely human space for adults who are struggling, hurting, or trying to make sense of something that has happened in their lives.
My work is grounded in Humanistic therapy, alongside additional training in Advanced CBT, addiction counselling, bereavement and loss, trauma-informed practice and suicide intervention. This allows me to draw from different therapeutic approaches and, most importantly, tailor our work to you your experiences, your needs and the person sitting in front of me.
I have a particular interest in trauma, grief, bereavement, addiction and identity including the profound ways that loss and difficult experiences can change how we see ourselves and our place in the world.
I won't tell you how you should feel. I won't judge the choices you've made. And I won't expect you to arrive with everything neatly worked out. You can come exactly as you are.
Maybe you're angry. Maybe you're exhausted. Maybe you're functioning perfectly well on the outside while falling apart privately. Maybe you've spent so long looking after everyone else that you've forgotten what you need.
Or maybe you simply know:
“I don't want to feel like this anymore.” You don't have to know where to begin. We can begin together.
Therapy isn't about erasing your past or turning you into someone else. It's about creating enough space to understand what you've lived through, how it has shaped you, and what you want your life to look like now.
I offer face-to-face and online counselling for adults, providing a safe space where you can slow down, be heard without judgement, and start making sense of what feels difficult to carry alone.
You have probably spent enough time surviving.
Let's explore what it might mean to start living differently.
AVA Counselling Alliance. Validation. Acceptance
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a Level 7 qualified Psychotherapeutic Practitioner, holding an MA in Psychotherapeutic Practice (Humanistic Counselling).
My training has given me a strong foundation in psychological theory, therapeutic practice and ethical clinical work, alongside 100 hours of supervised counselling practice.
My professional development has continued beyond my core qualification, with specialist training in:
Advanced CBT Addiction Counselling Bereavement and Loss Integrational Counselling – University of South Wales ASIST – Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training Trauma-informed practice, mental health and complex needs
Alongside my counselling qualifications, I have professional experience working with people facing domestic abuse, homelessness, addiction, mental health difficulties and complex circumstances.
This has taught me that the person sitting in front of you is never simply a diagnosis, a presenting problem or a collection of symptoms. There is always a story behind what we see.
My therapeutic training and professional experience have developed my ability to work with people experiencing distress, trauma, grief, loss, anxiety, addiction, relationship difficulties and significant life change, while maintaining a strong focus on ethical practice, safeguarding, boundaries, confidentiality and risk awareness.
I also have a particular professional and academic interest in trauma, bereavement, child loss and identity. My Master's research explores the profound impact of parental bereavement on a mother's sense of identity, reflecting my wider interest in understanding not only what has happened to someone, but what that experience has meant to them and how it has changed the way they experience themselves and their world. I also bring personal lived experience of profound bereavement and child loss. I believe this has deepened my understanding of the complexity of grief and the many ways loss can affect a person's identity, relationships, emotions and future. However, I never assume that my experience is the same as someone else's. Your story is yours, and my role is to understand it through your eyes.
I believe good therapy requires more than qualifications. It requires presence, curiosity, compassion, honesty and the ability to sit alongside someone when life feels incredibly difficult.
My commitment is to provide therapy that is professional without feeling clinical, compassionate without being patronising, and honest without judgement.
You bring your story. I bring the training, experience and space to help you explore it.
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.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
- Agoraphobia
- Health anxiety
Therapies offered
Fees
£45.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions are £45 for 50 minutes. Block bookings are available for clients who prefer to pay for several sessions in advance, with a small saving available on 4 and 8 session blocks. Limited concessionary spaces are also available for those experiencing financial difficulty. Please contact me to discuss availability.
When I work
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Further information
Choosing a counsellor can feel like a pretty big deal. You might be wondering what to say, whether you'll cry, whether I'll judge you, or whether you'll somehow have to lie on a sofa and tell me about your childhood while I write mysterious notes. Thankfully, no sofa is required. And I promise I won't sit there nodding dramatically while saying, “And how does that make you feel?” every five minutes.
I believe therapy should feel human, comfortable and collaborative. You don't need to arrive with a perfectly organised life story, a list of goals or even an explanation of what's wrong. You can simply turn up as you are.
My style is warm, honest, compassionate and sometimes a little bit humorous. I believe there is room for laughter in therapy, even when we're talking about difficult things. Sometimes being able to laugh, even briefly, can make a difficult conversation feel a little less frightening. That doesn't mean I will minimise what you're going through. Quite the opposite. I take your experiences seriously, while also believing that therapy doesn't always have to feel heavy.
You can cry. You can swear. You can laugh. You can sit in silence. You can say, “I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here.” That's all okay. I won't judge you, tell you what you should feel, or expect you to have everything figured out. We'll work together, at a pace that feels right for you, exploring whatever has brought you through the door.
I offer face-to-face and online counselling for adults, and I welcome people from all walks of life and with a wide range of difficulties.
If you've never had counselling before, that's okay. If you've had counselling before and it didn't work for you, that's okay too.
You don't have to know whether I'm the right counsellor for you before you contact me. That's what the conversation is for.
You can simply send me a message and tell me what's going on. No perfect words required. And yes, I am a real person behind the professional qualifications I drink too much coffee, walk into door frames, occasionally swear, and believe therapy works best when you can actually be yourself.
