I have spent the past 15 years within the helping profession, beginning with a variety of roles in health and social care before gaining experience working as a therapist within the voluntary sector and the NHS. I started my own counselling practice in the peak of 2020 and, having run it full time for the past 5 years, I genuinely do not feel I have worked a day since!

My work as a therapist is informed by both my academic training in Psychology and Counselling as well as my own struggles with mental health. I try to combine my theoretical knowledge of what can help with my lived experience of what it takes to heal. Despite my knowledge and experience, I’m not immune to the messiness of life and its emotional toll. I try to show up as a fellow human instead of just a ‘qualified professional’ and work with my heart as well as my head.

My counselling approach is humanistic in nature. Broadly speaking this means I treat the person and not their problem or disorder. I’m not too keen on diagnosing or pathologising what’s wrong with you. Rather I tend to see my client’s difficulties as meaningful and understandable responses to the life they lead and the problems they face. Most commonly I work with people who are having relationship or family issues who might struggle to feel safe with others, establish boundaries, connection or trust. I see interpersonal difficulties and broken connection as the root cause of many of the difficulties we call anxiety, depression and mental health. Exploring these struggles with a safe, supportive other in a non-judgmental environment opens the door to understanding and change. As my personal hero Irivn D. Yalom says: 

‘It is the relationship that heals’ .