How I approach therapy

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I think of therapy as a walk you have invited me to share. My job is not to tell you which route to take or which path to follow, but to walk alongside you — helping you notice things you may usually overlook, or have never had the space to really acknowledge.

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Starting therapy can feel daunting, particularly when even the thought of talking about difficult experiences feels upsetting. You are welcome to share anything without fear of judgement, but I will never expect you to talk about something you are not ready to explore.

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Talking isn’t the only way we can make sense of our experiences. I draw on felt sense and somatic awareness, metaphor, imagery and creative exploration, particularly when something feels difficult to reach through words alone.

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Many of the people I work with have experienced complex or enduring trauma. Earlier experiences and relationships can continue to influence our self-worth, relationships and the ways we learn to cope and protect ourselves. Strategies that once helped us survive or manage difficult experiences can sometimes become difficult to live with, contributing to anxiety, depression, distress or feeling stuck.

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My practice is IFS-informed and I find parts work a particularly compassionate way of understanding these protective strategies. Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with me?”, it can help us become curious about why a part of us might have needed to respond in a particular way.

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Our work is led by what you need and always moves at the speed of trust.

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Experience and training

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I began working with private clients in 2013 after several years volunteering with Cotswold Counselling Service in Gloucestershire. I have continued to develop my practice through extensive professional training and hundreds of hours of continuing professional development.

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I am a Certified Trauma-Informed Therapist and have undertaken specialist training in areas including attachment, Boarding School Syndrome, gender-affirming therapy, coercively controlling relationships, narcissistic abuse and suicide intervention. I am also professionally trained in online and telephone counselling.

Alongside my therapy practice, I am a qualified Clinical Supervisor, providing supervision to other counsellors and psychotherapists.

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I am an Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), work within its Ethical Framework, and am also a member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).