Qualifications

Diploma in Counselling

Therapeutic Approach

Humanistic, Gestalt, Person-centred

Membership body

BACP (Accred.)

Years practicing

11 years

Issues worked with

Attachment issues, Bereavement, Childhood abuse, Cultural identity, Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), Bipolar, Personal growth/wellbeing, Physical abuse, Sexual abuse, Social anxiety, Insomnia, Loneliness, Physical health, Schizophrenia, Stress, Suicidal thoughts, ADHD, Personality disorders, Refugees and displacement, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Family issues, Fertility and pregnancy, Anxiety, Bullying, Depression, Chronic or acute health conditions, Anger, Grief, Parenting, Rape/sexual assault, Sexual identity, Sexual matters, Loss, PTSD, Phobias, Self-esteem, Self-harm, OCD, Trauma, Gender identity.

Special interest areas

I have a special interest in working with clients who have high anxiety levels, and my experience has shown me that through fostering self-acceptance and through attention to healthy daily routines, including adopting mindfulness meditation practices where appropriate, the anxiety can be regulated and the client can then find their way through difficult periods more steadily. I also have significant experience of working with clients who have experienced significant trauma and am trained to work in a trauma-informed approach. Short-term therapy is not always suitable for trauma work and it is important to be aware of this and refer on when necessary..

Personal Statement

I am passionate about fostering self-acceptance and self-compassion in the clients I work with. This includes acknowledging the mistakes we make and learning to move on from them. As a Counsellor of 16 years’ experience, I believe that my consistent and compassionate presence enables these same qualities in my client and this has been shown to be true time and again with successful outcomes.

As a student counsellor I am especially aware of the tremendous pressures in the lives of students – pressure to do well, to have a great social life, look after themselves, make ends meet financially and to ‘keep up’ in many ways. A student living far from their family, possibly in a new culture, may have worries that make it difficult to concentrate on their studies. They may be finding it hard to fit in, may have fears about meeting their family’s expectations or may get isolated. Students might be alarmed by political events or climate change or may be struggling in adjusting to post-Covid life. All of these can bring about huge anxiety and my experience is in looking at them together, separating out the strands, helping the student to be aware of these conflicting forces and finding a way of maximising their potential. It is especially important to mobilise their existing strengths and engage with what they can do for themselves.