About me

I am a fully accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP). I have worked in the NHS and in private practice for a number of years. I have a degree from the University of Warwick, a Diploma in Psychology and a degree in Psychodynamic Counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, both from Birkbeck College, University of London. I have a special interest in attachment-based psychotherapy, having undergone further training at The Bowlby Centre. I am also a qualified EMDR therapist specialising in complex PTSD and childhood trauma.

As an accredited member of the BACP and am bound by their code of ethics and practice. All my work is professionally supervised. 

How I Work

During an initial consultation session I would like to talk to you about your current situation and explore what has prompted you to come to counselling at this particular point in your life. This allows for me to get to know something about your background and history, including previous experiences of therapy or counselling. It is very important for you to feel comfortable with me, and this initial session gives us the opportunity to consider whether I am the right person to help you. 

I am trained and experienced in working with people who have had difficult experiences, sometimes early in life. Some may have had parents who were depressed or struggling with their own distress. Others may have experienced the trauma of emotional, physical or sexual abuse, or losing a parent. I aim to help you explore difficult feelings, perhaps linked to issues such as anger, anxiety, depression, excessive worry, low self-esteem, perfectionism, OCD, panic attacks, difficulties in making or sustaining relationships and learn how to manage them more effectively.

An understanding of how we relate to one another within the therapeutic relationship can become a way of understanding other relationships and experiences. I aim to help you explore and develop a stronger sense of yourself that can lead to making meaningful changes and a more fulfilling, creative way of being in the world at large.

I offer counselling for those who are perhaps seeking an exploration of their past by offering a psychoanalytic approach as well as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for people who might want to work on a more time-limited basis and for certain problems and disorders where research has shown it to be effective.  I also offer EMDR for dealing with certain conditions such as phobias, anxiety and depression.

I have experience of treating a wide range of issues with adults from a diverse range of ages, backgrounds, cultures and faiths. It is not usually the case that people come to see me with one specific problem, but may be experiencing difficulty with some or any of the following:

Abuse

Addictions 

Agoraphobia

Anger

Compulsive behaviours ( e.g. sex, gambling, spending)

Co-dependency

Confidence

Depression and Mood Swings

Excessive worry

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Health Anxiety (Hypochondriasis)

Insomnia

Continuity is an important aspect of the process that allows therapy to be effective. Sessions are therefore scheduled at a regular agreed time and last for 50 minutes. The minimum is once a week, with the opportunity to increase the frequency if you and I agree that more in-depth work may be appropriate. There is no format to the sessions, but I would hope to enable you to bring and explore past memories, current life events, relationships, dreams, images, thoughts, wishes and above all a desire to explore your feelings. All these can contribute to a deeper understanding of unconscious processes.