About me

I have always been interested in people and how we all react differently to events in our lives. I enjoy talking and working with people. Various experiences in my life drew me towards seeking my own therapy in my late 30’s which ultimately has led me to my work as a counsellor.

Having worked for a charity on a voluntary basis for 7 years I also believe passionately that therapy should be available to anyone who seeks it. I am happy to discuss fees on the basis of what an individual can responsibly afford to pay. I set up my own practice in 2005 and have worked for a number of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and insurance companies.

I offer confidential individual and couple counselling for adults. I also offer individual counselling for student counsellors in training.

The model of counselling I trained in is psychodynamic. Over the years I have also found aspects of other models such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Solution Focused Brief Therapy may also be beneficial and use them where I can.

Psychodynamic counselling helps us to look at how we have learnt to relate to others in the past and how this may have influenced the way we relate in current relationships. This approach can be particularly helpful with addressing issues of anxiety, depression, relationships, stress and work related issues.

Many people have issues relating to their health and sense of well-being which can be helped through counselling. 

Issues of loss and bereavement are also common to most of us and having a safe place to explore these feelings can be hugely beneficial.

I have also trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) and am a member of EMDR Europe which is the official professional association of National EMDR Associations.

EMDR is a form of therapy that focuses on memories of traumatic and / or stressful experiences that can cause emotional distress to the individual. The therapy uses a structured protocol to address these issues to help clients activate their natural capacity to process these experiences and overcome trauma in a constructive way. EMDR can be used to address small “t” trauma in addition to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). EMDR is effective in treating every day memories that cause distress to the individual. Generally EMDR can be very effective in a short period of time. EMDR is equally effective being undertaken online or in person.

Where will it take place?

During the pandemic I moved my counselling practice to a telephone and online service and many of my clients have found this particularly helpful in terms of use of their time, comfort in their own homes and the ability to access therapy from wherever they live. I have chosen to continue this way of working.

Most people want to know how quickly they will start to feel better and how much therapy they will need. This is not easy to answer but feedback from many clients indicates that the hardest part is starting the work. Once the counselling has begun there can be a sense of relief of having made a decision and a feeling of starting to take control.

Our initial consultation will explore your history, discuss any current issues, your thoughts on what you hope to gain from therapy and how we can find a beneficial approach for you together. You may want to discuss a fixed number of sessions or you may choose to have an open ended number of sessions. We would agree together regular reviews in order to ensure the counselling is working for you.