How I Work

I have separate and extensive trainings as a counsellor and psychotherapist, meaning that I can tailor our work to your specific needs. Generally, counselling may be shorter-term and focus more on specific and current issues whereas psychotherapy tends to be longer-term and looks at deeper-rooted issues, patterns, and aspects of your personality.

My Approach

My approach is integrative, allowing me to draw on a variety of skills and techniques to help you to find your own answers to life’s questions and problems. Our collaborative relationship is key to the work and empathic understanding, acceptance and genuineness will help you to feel safe and work productively. Writing, drawing, journaling, working with dreams and other creative methods may be part of the work but my job is to find the best approach for you as an individual.

Although I can sometimes provide information, I do not give advice but aim to facilitate your own learning and empowerment. Important influencers on my practice are Carl Rogers, Carl Jung, Roberto Assagioli, Alice Miller, Viktor Frankl, Buddhism and mindfulness meditation, and contemporary trauma theorists.

Psychosynthesis

Psychosynthesis is a particular type of psychotherapy that aims to integrate and harmonize all aspects of the person, mind, body, feelings and spirit, and to move towards a more authentic and fulfilling way of living. It can help you to resolve the various internal struggles and splits that you may be experiencing and draws on a large range of theories and perspectives from both Western psychology and Eastern philosophies, including mindfulness meditation and visualisation. Psychosynthesis recognizes the uniqueness of each individual and does not require you to have any particular belief system. Alongside Psychosynthesis, my practice is increasingly informed by an approach called Internal Family Systems, which also emphasises the importance of Self and parts in our lives.

Equalities

I am committed to equality in practice and recognition of diversity, including concerning race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. I have substantial experience of working with people from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.

My Story

I first experienced counselling as a client when I was a student at university, 35 years ago. Since then, I have used counselling and psychotherapy many times for personal growth and support through difficult periods, as well as a central part of my training. My experience as a client has been crucial to my development as a therapist and allows me to help you more effectively and efficiently.

Working in the helping professions has been an important part of my identity and sense of purpose for 30 years. I worked as a home-care assistant for social services initially, including terminal care in the home, and moved to more formal counselling and then psychotherapy as my experience and self-knowledge deepened. Most of my work has been based in the voluntary or not-for-profit sector, specialising in HIV and sexual health and other physical illnesses, but encompassing all of life’s major issues and challenges.

Supervision and on-going professional training have been key to keeping me well-resourced and effective. So too have my partner, friends and family, and my other interests, including art, exercise, meditation, and nature. I feel very privileged to still be in a position to help others, a process that, in itself, also benefits me.