About Me & My Approach
About Me
I am a member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) and have a professional diploma in Counselling and Creative Couple Work.
After a career in media and fashion and more recently in pastoral care in secondary education I took a professional diploma in Counselling and trained as a Gestalt therapist. I work with individuals and couples, and I bring both my training and lived experience of boarding school and neurodivergence to the work where relevant.
Gestalt Therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which self-awareness and self-acceptance are considered keys to personal growth. The focus is to help you understand and re-evaluate your perspectives by inviting you to look again at yourself, your actions, thoughts and feelings.
I trained in Creative Couple Work on a course led by Nick Duffell. I understand that relationships can be challenging and that the difficulties we experience with a partner can often bring long-held fears, insecurities and patterns to the surface - many of which may have their roots in experiences from long before the relationship began. Therapy can offer a space to slow things down, understand what is happening between you, and develop a deeper understanding of yourselves and each other.
Training
- Professional Diploma in Counselling - The Albany Centre
- Two Year course in Creative Couple Work - The Centre for Gender Psychology. Course led by Nick Duffell
- CPD Training - Working with Boarding School Survivors - help4exboarders
- CPD Training - Boarding School Syndrome - the psychological trauma of "privileged" children - OnScience / Joy Schaverien
- CPD Training - The Forgotten Teenager - a Gestalt approach - AlanTalkUnlimited
- CPD Training - The Five Losing Strategies - Terry Real
- CPD Training - Understanding & Working with Neurodiversity - BACP
- Additional CPD training on: Clients at risk of suicide, Self Harm, Adolescent and Adult Mental Health, PTSD and Trauma
How I Work
Together we will gently explore where you feel stuck, by pausing to notice what you are feeling in the present moment. You hold the keys to your own freedom. By looking at how you currently respond, considering whether that response is still serving you, and imagining an alternative, you can begin to shift out of those patterns that have been holding you in place. As your therapist, my role is to offer you a safe supportive space where you can try out these new ways of responding at your own pace.
Individual Therapy
There is inevitably some looking back to understand how patterns became set and affect how we behave in the present. Understanding the past can bring understanding, growth and change. I will work with you to discover unhelpful past behaviours and learn new ways of "being" in the world.
About Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt Therapy looks at how you relate to yourself and other people, here and now, and how earlier experiences still shape that. Rather than getting stuck in the story, I will invite you to notice how you feel and act in the present, so you can see your patterns clearly and have more choice about them. With awareness comes personal freedom.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange a free 15 minute phone or video consultation. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
All enquiries are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.
Directories
Sessions
Individual Therapy
Sessions are for a 50 minute ‘hour’ (the remaining ten minutes is so I can reflect and be fully present for each client). My fee is payable by BACs in advance of the session.
Your session is your time. If you arrive late, we'll still finish at the normal time.
Couples Therapy
Session duration is 60 minutes and in some cases 90 minutes. My fee is payable by BACs in advance of the session.
I am not able to conduct the session if only one of the couple attends and if you arrive late, I will still end the session at the normal time.
Guidelines
- If therapy is to be beneficial, it is important that you are available for your weekly sessions on a regular basis.
- I ask for 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel, because your time is held for you. Sessions cancelled with less notice are charged in full.
- Please come to sessions sober, so that our time together is useful.
- I'm not an emergency service. If you need urgent support, please contact your GP or the Samaritans.
Fees
Fees will be reviewed annually.
Individual Therapy
£70 per session
I offer a free 15-minute phone/video assessment for additional questions if required.
Couples Therapy
£100 per hourly session
I offer a free 15-minute phone/video assessment for additional questions if required.